The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) has issued a fierce condemnation of recent statements by the US administration and a self-styled “Board of Peace” in the Gaza Strip, which proposed excluding the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) from any future reconstruction framework dismissing the agency’s role in what they term a “New Gaza.”
In a formal statement released Thursday, Hamas charged that these positions align seamlessly with the Israeli occupation’s persistent strategy to dismantle UNRWA and systematically erase its mandate. The movement underscored that UNRWA is far more than a humanitarian aid provider; it serves as an “international witness” to the Nakba of 1948, embodying the global community’s enduring legal and moral responsibility toward Palestinian refugees.
Hamas further argued that any initiative to curtail the agency’s funding, diminish its operational scope, or replace it outright constitutes a direct assault on international legitimacy. Such efforts, the movement warned, are inherently designed to eliminate the refugee issue and invalidate the inalienable right of return one of the most deeply entrenched pillars of Palestinian national rights.
Highlighting the acute urgency of the situation, Hamas cautioned regional and international actors against heeding calls to defund or scale back UNRWA’s activities. The movement stressed that the agency’s continued humanitarian and relief operations are an “urgent necessity,” particularly in light of the catastrophic conditions wrought by the ongoing Israeli military campaign across the Gaza Strip, where the population faces severe shortages of food, water, and medical care.
Concluding its appeal, Hamas called upon the United Nations, donor states, and the broader international community to uphold their legal and humanitarian obligations by ensuring UNRWA’s uninterrupted functionality and shielding its UN-mandated status. The movement insisted that this protection must remain in place until the Palestinian people attain their full legitimate national rights—foremost among them the right of return and self-determination.
Source: Palestinian media (edited and translated by Al-Manar)