Seventy employees of UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) were fired this week after accusations from Israel and the NGO UN Watch that they were affiliated with Hamas.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur sustained documentation of UNRWA\u2019s deep infiltration by Hamas – including our UNRWA<\/a> Terror Network map identifying at least 400 culprits – together with the USAID Inspector General, has finally forced the agency\u2019s hand,\u201d Hillel Neuer, Executive Director of UN Watch, stated.<\/p>\n Earlier this week, USAID announced<\/a> that it had referred 101 current or former UNRWA staff members to the US State Department for suspension or disbarment over their role in the October 7 massacre and\/or affiliation with Hamas.<\/p>\n \u201cFor years, UN Watch has exposed how UNRWA teachers, school principals, and other employees are intertwined with Hamas, including terror chiefs heading the staff unions. Today\u2019s action, while welcome, is only a small beginning,\u201d Neuer added.<\/p>\n UNRWA’s official announcement stated that the action was taken “to mitigate safety and security risks for the refugees the Agency serves.”<\/p>\n It emphasized that Israel had not provided any evidence to back up its accusations, and that the employees’ firing was not intended to be a validation of those claims.<\/p>\n In response, UN Watch accused UNRWA of being more interested in defending itself than in true neutrality.<\/p>\n The UNRWA staff union also responded to the firing, stating that “making such a decision without a fair and transparent investigation constitutes a clear violation of the principles of justice.”<\/p>\n The union called on UNRWA to reverse the decision, and announced that it would remain in continuous session “to monitor developments and take the necessary steps to protect the rights and dignity of UNRWA employees.”<\/p>\n \u201cWhen the very union representing UNRWA employees is controlled by Hamas<\/a> operatives,\u201c Neuer said, \u201cit is unsurprising they object to removing their comrades. This is not the behavior of a neutral humanitarian agency, but of an organization captured by a terrorist group.\u201d<\/p>\n