Hamas slams US decision to scrap UNRWA immunity

Iran Press TV

Sunday, 27 April 2025 8:37 AM

The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has condemned a recent US decision to lift the immunity of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), asserting that the move exposes Washington’s “blind bias” against Palestinians.

“The US Justice Department’s decision to strip the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) of legal immunity embodies once again the American administration’s bias towards the Zionist occupation’s policies and its systematic attempts to liquidate UNRWA,” Hamas said in a statement.

The statement highlighted that UNRWA is a political and humanitarian symbol representing the Palestinian refugees’ right to relief and return to their home from which they were expelled.

The decision was made public in a legal document submitted by the US Department of Justice to a federal court in New York on Thursday.

The document is part of a lawsuit that accuses UNRWA employees of involvement in the retaliatory Palestinian operation against the occupied territories on October 7, 2023, and demands exorbitant financial compensation.

“The Hamas Movement strongly condemns this grave decision and demands the US administration immediately reverse it,” the statement added.

“Hamas also urges the international community to reject it and highlight the importance of continuing to fund UNRWA and preserve its political and legal status as a UN body.”

The Palestinian resistance movement also called on the US administration to stop supporting and assisting the Israeli regime in its crimes against the besieged Gaza Strip.

“Hamas renews its call for Washington to cease its blind bias towards the occupation and its crimes, end its actual participation in the ongoing aggression against our people, particularly in Gaza, and work on correcting its political course, which makes it a direct partner in the international law’s violations and genocidal crimes,” the statement underlined.

The US Justice Department’s latest decision reflects Washington’s hardline stance toward the UN agency, especially in light of repeated Israeli accusations against UNRWA.

Since his first term as US president in 2017, President Donald Trump has worked to combat UNRWA and cut its funding with the aim of eliminating the refugee issue.

UNRWA’s legal defense team has described accusations as “not serious,” asserting that the agency enjoys legal immunity as a UN agency, a position adopted by previous US administrations.

OIC regrets UNRWA’s immunity removal

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) expressed its regret on Saturday over the US decision to lift the legal immunity of UNRWA, stressing the need for member states to respect all their obligations under the UN Charter and its relevant resolutions.

In a statement, the organization emphasized the vital, indispensable, and irreplaceable role of the UN agency, which constitutes a lifeline for millions of Palestinian refugees, particularly in the Gaza Strip, who have witnessed a genocidal war for over 18 months.

The OIC urged the United States to reconsider its decision regarding UNRWA, resume its funding, and pressure Israel to fulfill its obligations toward the UN agency as the move will reflect the international community’s commitment to support Palestinian refugees and protect their rights.

The organization also renewed its call on the international community to put an end to the crimes of genocide, starvation, and siege perpetrated by the Israeli occupation, and to allow the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.

The ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza since October 7, 2023, has so far resulted in at least 51,355 documented Palestinian fatalities, with over 117,248 others injured.

Thousands of victims are feared trapped under rubble, inaccessible to emergency and civil defense teams due to Israel’s unrelenting onslaught.

The regime’s merciless attacks continue unabated despite calls from the UN Security Council for an immediate ceasefire and directives from the International Court of Justice urging measures to prevent genocide and alleviate the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.