UN Chief Pressures Israel Over Refugee Agency Restrictions

Clear Facts

• UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres threatened to bring Israel before the International Court of Justice over actions against the United Nations’ Palestinian refugee agency.
• Israel passed laws in 2024 restricting the agency’s operations and later seized UNRWA offices in East Jerusalem, sparking condemnation from the UN.
• Allegations have surfaced that UNRWA personnel were involved in terrorism, leading several Western nations to temporarily halt funding in 2024.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sent a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, demanding Israel roll back legal measures impacting the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency and return seized property.

He warned that failing to reverse these steps could lead to international legal action.

Israel’s government passed laws in October 2024 limiting UNRWA’s activities and later allowed suspension of utilities to its facilities, escalating tensions between Israel and the United Nations.

Israeli authorities also seized UNRWA offices in East Jerusalem, with Israel standing firm on its claim that Jerusalem is its undivided capital.

Israel’s UN ambassador Danny Danon dismissed Guterres’ warnings.

“We are not fazed by the Secretary-General’s threats,” Danon said.

“Instead of dealing with the undeniable involvement of UNRWA personnel in terrorism, ‍the Secretary-General chooses to threaten Israel. This is not defending international law. This is defending an organization marred by terrorism.”

UNRWA was formed in 1949 to provide essential services to Palestinians displaced after Israel’s creation.

Its original temporary mission has been extended as refugee needs continue, but Israel argues the agency has outlived its purpose and perpetuates the refugee situation.

After the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, the Israeli government barred UNRWA from operating in its territory, while the United Nations and some international donors maintained support for the agency’s work in Gaza and the West Bank.

The agency faced renewed controversy in 2024 following accusations that staff were involved in the October 7 Hamas attack, causing countries including the United States and several European allies to suspend funding pending investigations.

A September 2025 report from UN Watch claimed UNRWA kept Hamas operatives in high-level positions, contradicting its stated commitment to neutrality.

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