UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned Israel that he may refer the country to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) if it does not repeal recent laws targeting UNRWA, the UN agency for “Palestinian refugees", and return property seized from the agency, Reuters reported.
The warning was delivered in a January 8 letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, made public on Tuesday.
Guterres wrote that the United Nations cannot ignore “actions taken by Israel, which are in direct contravention of the obligations of Israel under international law. They must be reversed without delay."
The Knesset passed legislation in October 2024 banning UNRWA from operating in the country and prohibiting officials from contacting the agency. The law was amended last month to bar electricity and water from being supplied to UNRWA facilities. Israeli authorities also seized the agency’s eastern Jerusalem offices.
UNRWA has long been criticized for its cooperation with the Hamas terrorist organization, which has been proven time and time again. That criticism has increased since Israel provided evidence in 2024 that UNRWA staff participated in the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks.
Following the Israeli revelations, the UN formed a review group, headed by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, to look into the Israeli allegations.
The group said in its report that it found neutrality-related issues" in UNRWA but also claimed that Israel had yet to provide evidence for allegations that a significant number of its staff were members of terrorist organizations.
Emily Damari, a former Hamas hostage who was freed after 470 days in captivity, said that she was held at an UNRWA facility.
In April 2025, USAID revealed that the United Nations obstructed an investigation by the American government into the ties between UNRWA employees in Gaza and the Hamas terrorist organization.
Despite all the evidence showing UNRWA’s deep ties to Hamas, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) recently ruled that Israel must facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip through UN agencies, including UNRWA. That ruling was criticized by Israel as well as by the US.
Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, sharply rejected Guterres’ warning. “The UN Secretary-General is trying to intimidate Israel," he said. “In a letter he sent to Prime Minister Netanyahu, he threatened to file a complaint with the International Court of Justice in The Hague against the State of Israel."
“Instead of addressing the serious issue of UNRWA employees being involved in terrorism, he is trying to whitewash crimes committed by UNRWA, which acts as a subsidiary of Hamas. We are done with UNRWA!" Danon added.