New reports allege that UNRWA collaborates with terrorists and promotes hatred, while the agency responds to criticism.

The UNRWA is facing new allegations of wrongdoing following the Hamas terrorist massacre in Israel and the numerous allegations and charges against the agency for its ties to terrorists.

A Geneva-based NGO, U.N. Watch, has released parts of a 150-page dossier revealing that UNRWA staff are complicit with terrorists, as Executive Director Hillel Neuer told Planet Chronicle Digital.

Neuer tried to address his documentation with UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini before presenting it to the world. In a letter to Lazzarini, Neuer explained that Lazzarini's staff had previously complained that U.N. Watch did not submit its reports to UNRWA for comment prior to publishing. Neuer then recounted several attempts to meet personally with Lazzarini to discuss U.N. Watch's findings and explained that when it released its dossier, Lazzarini would be unable to "claim… that we do not show you the evidence in advance."

"These photos of UNRWA officials meeting with alleged terror leaders wouldn't be found on their own social media, but we found them through our own means," he stated.

Lazzarini was photographed with members of terror organizations, including the Jihadi Islamic Movement, the Islamic Ansar League, and Hamas, in undated photos.

In a photo from 2014, UNRWA regional directors met with Hamas member Ali Baraka to congratulate Hamas on its anniversary, according to Neuer and Al Watan Voice.

In February 2017, a meeting took place between former UNRWA chief Pierre Krahenbuhl, Baraka, members of the PFLP and PIJ, and others. During the meeting, Krahenbuhl reportedly stated that "we are united, and no one can separate us."

In September 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice charged Baraka and five other Hamas leaders with "terrorism, murder conspiracy, and sanctions-evasion" for their roles in the Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack that resulted in the deaths of 40 Americans and over 1,000 others.

In 2019, Krahenbuhl and his staff were investigated for allegations of sexual misconduct, nepotism, retaliation, discrimination, and other abuses of authority. Despite resigning from his position, Krahenbuhl was appointed as the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in April 2024. Several leading congressional voices have urged Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Samantha Power to persuade the ICRC to reconsider Krahenbuhl's appointment due to his "disastrous tenure" as UNRWA commissioner-general.

The ICRC spokesperson stated that they were not present in the meeting and therefore cannot provide a full context of the discussion regarding the photos of Krahenbuhl posing with terror leaders and congressional concerns about his fitness for the Red Cross position.

The ICRC and other humanitarian organizations in conflict zones have a common objective: to secure aid to civilians. To achieve this, they meet with any group that controls access to civilians. Krahenbuhl, with his extensive humanitarian experience and work at the ICRC, has demonstrated this objective consistently.

Allegations of hate in UNRWA Education

UNRWA students were interviewed by local Palestinian film crews in the summer of 2024 for U.N. Watch's latest dossier. In one interview, a 14-year-old former student of UNRWA's Ein Arik co-ed school stated that his school taught him "to fight back and resist" in order to "liberate Palestine and have our lands returned to us by the good grace of Allah." The child later explained that the solution for Jerusalem is to "kill the Jews" and "get rid of the Jews."

Over the past 20 years, a second NGO, IMPACT-se, has provided extensive reports on the educational materials used in UNRWA schools. In a recent report dated November 13, IMPACT-se named 12 high-ranking UNRWA principals, deputies, directors, or deputy directors of training centers who were members of either Hamas or PIJ. The report noted that nine of the 12 participated in the October 7 terror attack, with some even serving as Nukhba operatives, members of Hamas' special forces units. Additionally, two of the dual UNRWA- and Hamas-member principals oversaw schools where Hamas tunnels were built.

IMPACT-se has discovered that three UNRWA schools had Hamas operatives as staff and promoted "libels against and non-recognition of Israel" in their study material. The NGO found that these schools also "gratuitously inserted content promoting hatred and violence against Israel into grammar exercises."

UNRWA schools are "brazenly disregarding" UNESCO standards, which encompass "peace-building, consideration for non-Palestinian communities, and abstaining from inciting violence."

The UNRWA's education system in Gaza Strip has over 10% of its 510 senior employees as members of PIJ or Hamas, despite the fact that UNRWA members are prohibited from being involved in terror groups designated by the U.N. Security Council. However, as Neuer explained, the U.N. terror list is thin because Russia and China can veto any designation they do not agree with. This means that there are virtually no Palestinian groups on the list.

UNRWA media officials were contacted by Planet Chronicle Digital multiple times for their response to allegations that UNRWA schools were not following UNESCO standards and for information on Lazzarini's refusal to meet with Neuer.

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini has warned against the spread of disinformation against the agency, stating that it is intended to create chaos and divert attention from political goals aimed at dismantling the organization. Lazzarini advised that before giving credence to accusations like these, it is important to verify the source and question the intent to avoid becoming an echo chamber for disinformation and inadvertently fueling hate and putting others in danger.

According to Deere, the children interviewed by U.N. Watch were filmed without the consent of their parents. The kids were isolated and asked leading questions to manipulate their responses. Deere considers this to be beyond misleading and a desperate attempt.

UNRWA funding was halted by the U.S. and other countries in January following evidence of member involvement in the Oct. 7 terror attack. Congress has suspended UNRWA funding until March 2025.