Lazzarini rejects Israeli accusations of links between UNRWA and Hamas

The Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, accused Israel of making "baseless allegations" of links between the agency and the Palestinian movement Hamas.

Lazzarini wrote on the social media platform X that these allegations "put the lives of UNRWA staff at grave risk and damaged the agency's reputation."

He said that despite requests to do so, the Israeli government "has not provided any sufficient evidence to support these extremely serious allegations against the agency and its staff."

Lazzarini called on Israel to halt its "baseless misinformation campaign against the agency" and resume cooperation with UNRWA, which has been suspended since last January.

In mid-2024, a UN spokesperson said the organization considered it highly likely that UNRWA employees were involved in the Hamas-led attacks in Israel on October 7, 2023, and the UN terminated its cooperation with nine employees due to these allegations.

Israel has long accused the relief agency of being infiltrated by Hamas.

According to an Israeli government spokesperson, hostages were hidden in UNRWA facilities in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli government also released a video purporting to show an UNRWA social worker carrying the body of an Israeli to a vehicle on October 7, 2023, for transport to the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli government says details of approximately 100 UNRWA employees alleged to be members of Hamas have been passed to the United Nations.

The Israeli parliament imposed a ban on UNRWA operations in Israeli territory, which took effect at the end of last January.

Another law prohibits the Israeli authorities from having any contact with UNRWA.

Independent experts investigated the Israeli allegations against 12 UNRWA employees on behalf of the relief agency. They said that while there are "robust" mechanisms in place to ensure neutrality, there is also room for improvement.