Hamas warns against plans to liquidate 'UNRWA' and considers it a targeting of international legitimacy

The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) strongly condemned the positions issued by the 'Peace Council' in the Gaza Strip and the American administration, which promote the exclusion of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) from the future of the Strip. The movement affirmed in a press statement that these trends are fully consistent with the Israeli agenda seeking to undermine the agency and end its historical role as a witness to the rights of Palestinians.

The movement stressed that UNRWA is not merely a relief institution, but rather an embodiment of the international community's legal and moral responsibility towards the ongoing Nakba of the Palestinian people for decades. It clarified that the agency's mandate derives its strength from the authorization of the United Nations General Assembly, and no single entity has the right to cancel this role, which is linked to inalienable political and historical rights.

Hamas considered that terms such as 'New Gaza' aim to create a political reality that fragments Palestinian geography and isolates the Strip from its national context. It warned that any attempt to replace the agency with alternative structures is a direct targeting of the right of return, and a blatant attempt to erase one of the most prominent international testimonies to the crimes committed against the Palestinian people in 1948.

In a related context, the movement warned against going along with calls to cut funding for the UN agency or reduce its powers in light of the catastrophic humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip. It indicated that the continued operation of UNRWA is an urgent necessity that cannot be dispensed with, especially with the exacerbation of living and health crises caused by the occupation during its ongoing aggression.

For its part, the Arab League entered the diplomatic confrontation, as the General Secretariat of the League denounced the statements of the 'Peace Council', describing them as lacking any legal basis. The League affirmed that UNRWA was established by a clear UN resolution, and that its role will remain essential and fundamentally linked to the refugee issue until a just and comprehensive settlement is reached that guarantees their rights.

The 'Peace Council', which is one of the tools of the American administration for the transitional phase in Gaza, had claimed in a post that there is no place for the agency in the future vision for the Strip. These moves come within the framework of a comprehensive plan proposed by US President Donald Trump in September 2025, which aims to reshape the administrative and developmental reality in Gaza away from traditional UN institutions.

In turn, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated its affirmation that UNRWA represents the only lifeline for millions of refugees, rejecting any attempts to circumvent its role. The ministry clarified that the attack on the agency falls within a broader plan to displace Palestinians and liquidate their national cause by drying up the sources of humanitarian and legal support provided by the international organization.

UNRWA is currently facing unprecedented challenges, as Israeli political pressures combine with a severe funding crisis that threatens to halt education and health services. Despite the UN's continuous assurances of its staff's commitment to the principles of neutrality, the continuous incitement puts the future of millions of refugees in the five areas of operation at stake amidst a suspicious international silence.

UNRWA represents an international witness to the Nakba of the Palestinian people and an embodiment of international responsibility towards refugees, and any attempt to harm it is a targeting of international legitimacy.