UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini urges central Gaza role, ignoring evidence of staff aiding Hamas massacres and Israel’s fierce objections.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini has called for his agency to take the lead in rebuilding the Gaza Strip, even as mounting evidence links UNRWA personnel to Hamas terrorism — including the October 7 massacre.
In an op-ed published in The Guardian, Lazzarini argued that “UNRWA’s thousands of Palestinian staff” possess the “expertise and community trust” necessary to restore health, education, and public services in Gaza. He praised the agency’s “vital role” over decades and cited a recent International Court of Justice (ICJ) opinion that allegedly reaffirmed UNRWA’s “neutrality and professionalism.”
But Lazzarini’s demand has sparked outrage across Israel and the West. Israeli intelligence previously exposed detailed evidence proving UNRWA employees actively aided Hamas terrorists during the October 7, 2023 massacre. According to the Israeli dossier, UNRWA workers kidnapped civilians, distributed ammunition, and participated directly in the slaughter at Kibbutz Be’eri, where 97 Israelis were murdered.
Following the revelations, the United Nations appointed a review panel led by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna. Her report admitted to “neutrality-related issues” within the agency but downplayed Israeli evidence — a move Israel condemned as a cover-up of systemic complicity.
Further testimony deepened the scandal. Emily Damari, an Israeli woman freed after 470 days in Hamas captivity, revealed that she was held inside a UNRWA facility in Gaza. Meanwhile, in April 2025, USAID confirmed that the UN obstructed an American investigation into UNRWA’s links to Hamas operatives.
Despite these damning revelations, the ICJ last month ordered Israel to facilitate humanitarian aid deliveries via UN agencies, including UNRWA — a ruling condemned by Jerusalem and Washington alike as dangerously naive.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry accused Lazzarini of “moral blindness,” saying his push to lead Gaza’s reconstruction is akin to “letting the arsonist rebuild the house he burned.”
As Israeli victims demand accountability and Western donors reassess funding, UNRWA’s insistence on remaining at the center of Gaza’s future underscores a grim paradox — an agency tainted by terror now seeks to be its architect of recovery.
