Hamas infiltration of UNRWA not addressed in Colonna report, Israel charges

• Published date: 22 April 2024
• Author: JERUSALEM POST STAFF
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

"Hamas has infiltrated UNRWA so deeply that it is no longer possible to determine where UNRWA ends and where Hamas begins," Katz said

He is among the many politicians on the Israeli Right who have long called on the UN to close the organization which services 5.9 million Palestinian refugees in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Gaza, the West Bank, and east Jerusalem.

It's a call that has grown stronger in Israel, as it uncovered evidence that some of UNRWA's staff belonged to Hamas or the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and that some 12 of its employees had participated in the October 7 attack against Israel.

"More than 2,135 UNRWA workers are members of either Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), while one-fifth of UNRWA school administrators are Hamas members," Katz said.

"Not what a genuine thorough review looks like"

"The problem with UNRWA-Gaza isn't that of a few bad apples; it is a rotten and poisonous tree whose roots are Hamas," Katz stated.

He spoke after former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna submitted a report reviewing neutrality issues in the organization.

While she found flaws within UNRWA that caused problems with neutrality, she still concluded that it was important that the organization continue its unique work servicing Palestinian refugees.

Her report, which was commissioned by UN...