‘We Have No Plans To Close Anything’: UNRWA’s Response as Israel Stands To Evict Organization
The East Jerusalem headquarters of the refugee agency, which has operated there for over 70 years, is set to be vacated on January 30, impacting UNRWA’s international staff, though local staff will continue their work
The already strained relationship between Israel and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has deteriorated sharply since the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas on southern Israel, which killed over 1,400 people. In the aftermath, Israel accused UNRWA of ties to Hamas and decided to shut down the organization’s activities in areas under its jurisdiction. By January 30, 2025, UNRWA’s international staff are expected to vacate all premises in East Jerusalem and halt operations there entirely, further deepening the divide between the agency and Israeli authorities.
“More than 50% of UNRWA’s workers in Gaza belong, in one way or another, to Hamas, and many participated in the October 7 war. This provided significant justification for those in Israel advocating for the dismantling of the organization,” Yohanan Tzoreff, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies specializing in Israeli-Palestinian relations and the Palestinian interorganizational system, told The Media Line.
This decision follows a vote by the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, three months ago, mandating UNRWA’s expulsion. The move has sparked questions about the agency’s replacement and the potential consequences for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In the Knesset vote, 92 members supported the bill, while 10 voted against it. The legislation prohibits UNRWA from conducting missions, providing services, or engaging in activities within Israel’s sovereign territory.
UNRWA condemned the decision as a breach of international law. In a press release, the agency stated, “UNRWA property and assets, including in East Jerusalem, are immune from search, requisition, confiscation, expropriation, and any other form of interference.”
Claims from the Israeli authorities that UNRWA has no right to occupy the premises are without foundation. They promote anti-UNRWA rhetoric, placing the agency’s facilities and personnel at risk.
The statement also rejected the Israeli position about the status of the organization’s presence in East Jerusalem, saying, “Claims from the Israeli authorities that UNRWA has no right to occupy the premises are without foundation. They promote anti-UNRWA rhetoric, placing the agency’s facilities and personnel at risk.” The organization asserted that the Israeli government’s explicit aim in vacating UNRWA’s offices in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood was “to expand Israeli illegal settlements in occupied East Jerusalem.”
Established in 1949 to aid Palestine refugees displaced during the 1948 war—referred to by Israel as the War of Independence and by Palestinians as the Nakba (Arabic for “the catastrophe”)—UNRWA operates in the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. Over decades, it has evolved into a complex organization delivering public services to millions of Palestinians across the region.
The agency has faced criticism for allegedly perpetuating Palestinian refugee status and fostering anti-Israel sentiment. Recently, accusations of Hamas infiltration have intensified. The Israeli government claims that some UNRWA employees participated in the October 7 attacks.
“The Israeli government presented allegations in January 2024 that 12 UNRWA staff members were involved in the horrors of October 7,” said Juliette Touma, UNRWA’s communications director, based in Amman, Jordan. “Following this, the agency immediately terminated the contracts of these 12 staff members,” she added.
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Touma noted that the Office of Internal Oversight Services conducted an investigation into these allegations. “Despite the findings being inconclusive, we decided to act against those members of our staff regardless,” she explained.
Regarding Israel’s eviction order for UNRWA’s East Jerusalem offices, Touma said, “We saw a letter circulating on media channels not directly addressed to us, but to the UN secretary-general, from Israel’s permanent representative to the UN, requesting the eviction of our offices in East Jerusalem.”
UNRWA’s international staff are also facing visa challenges, which have worsened since October 7. “Before the war, we received one-year visas with residency and diplomatic status. Now, the visas are shorter in duration, and in some cases, people cannot obtain them at all,” Touma said. Most international staff visas will expire on January 29, 2025. Without renewals, staff will relocate to Amman, while local employees will remain to continue operations.
“UNRWA has 12 premises in East Jerusalem. From our side, we have no plans to close anything. We plan to continue delivering services to the communities we serve. United Nations premises have privileges and immunities under international agreements to which Israel is a signatory,” Touma emphasized.
Tzoreff claimed that the eviction order stemmed from concerns over UNRWA’s alleged ties to terrorist groups. “Ten percent of UNRWA’s school principals and vice-principals are members of Hamas or Islamic Jihad,” he said.
There is no replacement for UNRWA at the moment. All international organizations recognize its capabilities.
Despite this, Tzoreff acknowledged that Israel still lacks a clear alternative to this institution. “There is no replacement for UNRWA at the moment. All international organizations recognize its capabilities. Establishing an alternative could take significant time, leaving uncertainty for those who depend on it,” he added.
Marcus Sheff, CEO of the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (IMPACT-se), argued that UNRWA’s absence could benefit Palestinian children. “UNRWA has neglected its duty of care to Palestinian children for decades by promoting radical and extremist educational materials,” he said.
Sheff linked the October 7 attacks to decades of radical education. “When children are taught to glorify violence, view martyrdom as superior to life, and see Jews as enemies to be eradicated, such acts are an inevitable outcome. Many of the terrorists involved likely attended UNRWA schools, given that most schools in Gaza are run by the organization.”
He suggested other organizations could fill UNRWA’s role. “The UNHCR, WHO, and UNDP already provide education to millions of refugee children worldwide. There is no reason the 500,000 children in Gaza couldn’t be educated by these entities as well,” Sheff said. “Even UNRWA’s head, Philippe Lazzarini, has admitted that other organizations could take over, but local authorities resist this change.”
The idea that Palestinian children must continue to be radicalized is unacceptable. UNRWA has been an impediment to peace and progress for both Palestinian and Israeli societies.
Sheff proposed a new curriculum that could be implemented immediately. “The idea that Palestinian children must continue to be radicalized is unacceptable. UNRWA has been an impediment to peace and progress for both Palestinian and Israeli societies,” he said.
Defending the agency, Touma highlighted its humanitarian mission. “We do what we are mandated to do as humanitarians and development workers—serve the communities we are committed to. In Gaza, we have over 5,000 staff. More than 270 colleagues have been killed. Two-thirds of our facilities in Gaza have been damaged, destroyed, or demolished,” she said.
As the January 30 deadline approaches, questions remain about what comes next. While international organizations like the Red Cross and other UN agencies have been proposed as potential replacements, their ability to fill UNRWA’s role is uncertain. The future of peace, stability, and the Palestinian communities served by UNRWA hangs in the balance.
