Israel officially severed all ties with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), marking one of its most decisive actions against an organization long accused of aiding Hamas.
As of now, UNRWA no longer receives visas, coordination, or assistance from Israel. The law banning all cooperation with the agency—initiated by MK Dan Illouz (Likud)—went into full effect.
In an exclusive interview with The Jerusalem Post, Illouz condemned UNRWA’s role in fueling terrorism and vowed to push for its global shutdown.
Illouz argued that UNRWA was not a humanitarian organization but a political tool that perpetuated the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“No other refugee population had an agency like UNRWA,” he said. “Every other refugee crisis was resolved through resettlement and integration. But UNRWA did the opposite—it inflated the number of refugees, ensured they remained stateless, and indoctrinated them to believe their only future was through ‘return’—a euphemism for Israel’s destruction.”
'Deeply embedded with Hamas'
Beyond ideology, Illouz claimed UNRWA was deeply embedded with Hamas. “Their schools didn’t educate—they radicalized. Their employees didn’t provide aid—they collaborated with terrorists. Their facilities didn’t house civilians—they stored Hamas weapons.”
UNRWA’s defenders insisted the agency provided essential humanitarian aid, but Illouz dismissed that as a dangerous myth.
“This was the same lie the world had been repeating for decades,” he said. “UNRWA employees actively participated in the October 7 massacre. They murdered civilians. They helped Hamas kidnap women and children. Some of them literally fought alongside terrorists.”
He insisted that humanitarian aid could still reach Palestinians—but through different channels. “There were other organizations, UN bodies, and independent NGOs that could provide aid without financing terrorism.”
‘The world knew UNRWA was helping Hamas'
Despite longstanding evidence, Western governments continued to fund UNRWA.
“Everyone knew the truth,” Illouz said. “The agency’s employees were tied to Hamas. Their schools taught hate. Their facilities stored rockets. Yet the West kept sending money to serve their own political interests.”
Maintaining a permanent Palestinian refugee crisis, he argued, provided foreign governments with leverage over Israel. “If they truly cared about Palestinians, they would have dismantled UNRWA decades ago.”
Israel, he emphasized, had finally put an end to this charade. “We would not enable this deception any longer.”
Illouz revealed that his initiative faced intense international opposition.
“As soon as I introduced the law, foreign diplomats flooded my office, warning this would ‘hurt Israel diplomatically.’ Ambassadors, parliament members, and UN officials pressured us to reconsider,” he said.
But Israel held firm. “The real danger was allowing this terror-supporting agency to continue operating,” he said. “We chose to protect Israel.”
‘UNRWA was gone. Now we took the fight global'
While Israel had expelled UNRWA, the agency continued operating globally with funding from Western governments. Illouz intended to change that.
“As Israel’s head of delegation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), I was working with lawmakers worldwide to expose the truth,” he said. “If you continued funding UNRWA, you were funding Hamas’ next attack.”
Illouz’s final message was clear: “Israel made the right decision. UNRWA was out. The world had to decide—would they continue supporting an organization that enabled terrorism, or would they finally cut ties? UNRWA, take note: Israel was finished with you. Soon, the world would be too.”