The UN agency for Palestinian refugees has said it has fired 70 employees in Gaza “to mitigate safety and security risks for the refugees” amid Israeli accusations that many of its staffers were Hamas operatives.
Announcing the move on Thursday, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) temporary head Christian Saunders said the firings took place with “immediate effect” and “were taken further to an assessment of the safety and security of UNRWA operations in Gaza.”
However, the statement did not mention Hamas and stated that “the dismissal of the staff is not part of a disciplinary process and does not constitute in any way a validation of the claims made against them.”
“UNRWA has repeatedly asked the Israeli authorities to provide information and evidence to substantiate allegations against individual UNRWA staff members in Gaza, but has received no response to date,” the statement claimed.
Israel has repeatedly alleged and shown evidence that employees of the agency were actively involved in terror groups in the Gaza Strip, and some participated in the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led invasion and slaughter.
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Israel has also shown repeated use of UNRWA infrastructure for terror activities and provided evidence that the agency’s schools incited hatred of Israel and glorification of attacks against Israelis.
Hamas terrorist and UNRWA staffer Muhammad Abu Attawi during the attack on a bomb shelter near Kibbutz Re’im on October 7, 2023. (Israel Defense Forces)
UN Watch, the prominent pro-Israel lobbying group at the United Nations, welcomed the move, but accused UNRWA of hypocrisy in refusing to openly acknowledge the links to Hamas.
“Our sustained documentation of UNRWA’s deep infiltration by Hamas — including our UNRWA Terror Network map identifying at least 400 culprits — together with the USAID Inspector General, has finally forced the agency’s hand,” said Hillel Neuer, Executive Director of UN Watch. “
“For 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’s action, while welcome, is only a small beginning,” said Neuer.
“This incoherent position — firing people while refusing to acknowledge why — reveals an institution still more interested in protecting itself and its Hamas-embedded workforce than in genuine neutrality or accountability,” UN Watch said.
Palestinians live at an UNRWA school in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, September 6, 2025. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)
UNRWA was established in 1949 following Israel’s War of Independence. It provides aid, health and education to millions of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank and neighboring Arab countries — Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.
Some 5.9 million people are registered as Palestinian refugees by UNRWA, because they are descended from Arabs displaced in the 1948 war.
Israel has long argued that UNRWA perpetuates the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by using this definition of refugee, the only case in which the status is passed down generationally.
It is one of two UN refugee agencies– while UNRWA caters to Palestinians, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is responsible for all other refugees around the world.
Israel has also long accused UNRWA of letting its educational facilities play host to incitement against the Jewish state and glorification of terrorism.
Since the Hamas-led onslaught of October 7, 2023, Israel has alleged that some UNRWA staff took part in the shock assault and that over 10 percent of employees in Gaza had ties to terror groups.
A number of freed hostages have also testified after returning to Israel that they were held in captivity in UNRWA schools and facilities, and security cameras on October 7, 2023, captured footage of the terrorists, including an employee of UNRWA, loading hostage Yonatan Samerano into an UNRWA jeep.
Screenshot from video showing an UNRWA worker next to a white UN jeep, abducting the body of Yonatan Samerano, who was killed by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023. (Screenshot)
In February 2024, the IDF revealed the existence of a subterranean Hamas data center directly beneath UNRWA’s Gaza Strip headquarters. The IDF has also repeatedly targeted Hamas command centers and gunmen hiding out in UNRWA schools.
However, some supporters have noted the key role the agency fills in providing relief to Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank and keeping them from deeper poverty that could fuel violence and terrorism, saying no other body or group is equipped to handle that responsibility.
Washington was long UNRWA’s biggest donor, but froze funding in January 2024 after Israel accused agency staff of taking part in the October 7 attack.
Read the full article at The Times of Israel →📄Source document: Canadian Foreign Ministry Statement
6 reports
The Jerusalem PostIndependentCenterFactual 85Objective 854 days agoCanadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand announced an additional $100 million in funding to support humanitarian efforts in Gaza and the West Bank through organizations such as the UN, Red Cross, and NGOs. This brings Canada's total contributions to the Palestinian territories to $500 million. The announcement came shortly after UNRWA confirmed it had terminated the contracts of 70 staff members in Gaza due to their alleged ties to Hamas.
Bias read (Center): The article presents factual information without overtly biased language or selective sourcing. It reports on Canada's funding commitment and the context of UNRWA's actions without taking a clear stance on the political implications of either decision. The framing remains neutral, focusing on the宣布的
Official sources cited
- government Canadian Foreign Ministry Statement
- government UNRWA Statement on Staff Terminations
The Jerusalem PostIndependentRightFactual 85Objective 857 days ago UNRWA fires 70 employees after Israeli accusations of Hamas affiliationThe article reports that USAID has referred 101 current or former UNRWA staff members to the US State Department for potential suspension or disbarment due to their alleged involvement in the October 7 massacre.
Bias read (Right): The article references an action taken by USAID against UNRWA staff without providing balanced context or counter-narratives, potentially implying wrongdoing without sufficient nuance.
The Times of IsraelIndependentRightFactual 85Objective 858 days agoUNRWA has fired 70 employees in Gaza, citing safety and security concerns. The agency stated the dismissals are not related to disciplinary actions and do not confirm allegations against the staff. Israel has accused UNRWA of having Hamas operatives among its employees and has provided evidence of the agency's infrastructure being used for terror activities.
Bias read (Right): The article presents the situation without overtly favoring one side. It includes statements from UNRWA and mentions Israeli accusations without editorializing or biased language. The framing remains neutral, focusing on the facts presented by both parties.
i24NEWSIndependentRightFactual 85Objective 859 days agoThe United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has fired 70 employees in Gaza over alleged ties to Hamas, following an investigation by a U.S. aid watchdog.
Bias read (Right): The article presents the firing of UNRWA staff as a result of an investigation into their ties with Hamas, which frames the issue in a manner that aligns with a critical perspective toward Hamas and potentially supports the narrative of holding UN agencies accountable for potential affiliations with
The Jerusalem PostIndependentRightFactual 85Objective 8512 days ago Over 100 UNRWA staff referred to US State Department over Hamas ties, Oct. 7 attacksThe Jerusalem Post reports that the USAID Office of Inspector General confirmed it referred more than 100 current or former UNRWA staff to the US State Department for possible suspension or disbarment over alleged participation in the October 7, 2023 attacks or ties to Hamas's military wing. The article details specific cases, including school staff allegedly holding Hamas command roles, and notes one prior disbarment. An UNRWA representative responded that the agency takes neutrality-breach allegations seriously and maintains a zero-tolerance policy.
Bias read (Right): The framing leans right through one-sided emphasis on alleged UNRWA-Hamas ties with detailed unverified allegations stated as fact, terms like "massacre" and "terror group," and UNRWA's response placed only at the end, though it does include that response.
Official sources cited
- government USAID Office of Inspector General (USAID OIG)
HaaretzIndependent🔒RightFactual 80Objective 808 days agoThe United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has fired 70 employees following accusations by Israel that they have ties to Hamas. This decision comes amid concerns over potential Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) attacks in Gaza.
Bias read (Right): The article frames the situation with language that emphasizes the accusations made by Israel against UNRWA staff, suggesting a lack of independent verification or balanced perspective on the claims. The focus on 'fears of IDF attacks' implies a narrative aligned with Israeli security concerns, with
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