Israel’s Ambassador to the Philippines, Ilan Fluss, has echoed the prevailing sentiment in his country for the abolition of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, or UNRWA, for alleged connections with the extremist group Hamas.   

In a roundtable discussion with DAILY TRIBUNE, Fluss said UNRWA has been harboring and serving as a cover organization for Hamas members in their active campaign for the destruction of Israel “from the river to the sea.”

Fluss pointed out the glaring aberration of UNRWA being the only United Nations organization that is dealing with “only one nation with one set of people, the Palestinians,” who have remained stagnant as refugees.

“This is why their numbers (Palestinians) are growing all the time because their (refugee) status flows from generation to generation. They are multiplying,” Fluss noted.

UNRWA was established by UN General Assembly Resolution 302 (IV) on 8 December 1949 to carry out relief programs for Palestinian refugees, beginning actual operations on 1 May 1950.

With the Palestinian refugee problem lingering, the UN General Assembly has repeatedly renewed UNRWA’s mandate, most recently extending it until 30 June 2026.

Based on the evidence that Israel has obtained, Fluss alleged that 12 members of UNRWA were employed and had direct involvement in the 7 October attack, which resulted in the deaths of some 1,200 Israelis, including women, children, and elderly.

“We have evidence of phone calls, among other things. Secondly, we know that hundreds of UNRWA employees are operatives of Hamas, and we already gave the list to the UN. These are all based on the information since we entered Gaza,” Fluss stressed.

In Gaza, Israeli troops discovered cable communications and power running from the UNRWA-managed offices to Hamas bunkers. Fluss said UNRWA also runs schools in Gaza, with teachers who are Hamas terrorists teaching children to embrace terrorism.

“UNRWA was used and totally infiltrated by Hamas, and what we are saying is that we must find other solutions and organizations to take over the responsibility of UNRWA in Gaza. And there are, like UNICEF, the World Food Program, and other organizations that can take over the responsibilities. The UN should not tolerate that UNRWA should be part of their organization,” he maintained.

“We are calling to replace the head of UNRWA, to totally reform and change the organization, as they are not relevant in Gaza anymore,” he added.

UNRWA is headed by Philippe Lazzarini, who, on Monday, claimed that Gaza is experiencing “man-made” hunger.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed to a cabinet meeting on Sunday (17 March) that Israeli forces would thrust into Rafah, the last relatively safe place in the tiny, crowded Gaza enclave after more than five months of war, despite international pressure for Israel to avoid civilian casualties, according to a Reuters report.