Israeli Foreign Ministry Official: UNRWA Still Employs Hamas Terrorists
Amir Weissbrod, Deputy Director-General for International Organizations at the Israeli Foreign Ministry, stated on Monday night via the X platform that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) "still employs numerous terrorists affiliated with Hamas."
According to Weissbrod, "Employee rosters handed to the Foreign Ministry last week clearly show Hamas operatives—some of whom were already named in an official letter sent in July 2024 to UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini and UN Secretary-General António Guterres, yet no action has been taken."
Weissbrod called on world governments to cut funding to the agency. "Any responsible government that does not want its taxpayers’ money going to Hamas must stop supporting this organization," he wrote.
In April, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar launched a scathing attack on the UN and UNRWA following the opening of proceedings at the International Court of Justice in The Hague regarding the agency’s status. Sa’ar declared that Israel would not participate in what he called a “circus,” accusing both the UN and UNRWA of anti-Israel and antisemitic activity.
"At this very moment, the International Court of Justice is engaged in another scandalous proceeding against the State of Israel," Sa’ar said. "This time, an ‘advisory opinion’ is being sought regarding UNRWA, a UN agency plagued by terror and beyond reform. Israel has decided not to participate in this circus. This is yet another political abuse of a legal process aimed at persecuting the State of Israel and denying its most basic right to self-defense."
The Foreign Minister accused the UN and UNRWA of cooperating with terrorism, stating, "It is not Israel that should be on trial. It is the UN and UNRWA that should be on trial. The UN has become a corrupt, anti-Israel, and antisemitic body. Clear evidence proves that under the UN and its Secretary-General, terrorists employed by UNRWA took an active role in the October 7 massacre. He later attempted to cover it up."
Sa’ar sharply criticized the UN, claiming the organization had "betrayed its original and noble purpose" and now "undermines global order instead of reinforcing it." He accused the UN of abusing the international legal system for the purpose of "systematic persecution and delegitimization of the State of Israel."