American families whose relatives were killed in terrorist attacks are suing the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), claiming the agency has systematically aided the terrorist groups responsible for murdering their loved ones
The lawsuit, filed Thursday in Washington, became possible after Trump’s Justice Department reversed the Biden administration’s position that UNRWA enjoys diplomatic immunity from such cases. Families of victims slain at the Nova music festival have also joined the suit, accusing UNRWA of violating anti-terrorism laws by allowing Hamas to infiltrate its schools and clinics while maintaining direct ties with the terrorist organization.
Those accusations gained credibility after the UN fired nine UNRWA workers in August following its own investigation, concluding they “may have been involved” in the October 7 massacre. Israeli intelligence documents detailed specific allegations: seven employees accused of crossing into Israel, two allegedly helping kidnap Israelis, one arming himself with an anti-tank missile the night before the attack. The IDF also released video showing an UNRWA employee helping move victim Jonathan Samerano’s body into an UNRWA vehicle before it was driven into Gaza.
But October 7 was just the beginning. Israeli intelligence claims more than 2,135 UNRWA workers are members of Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad, with one-fifth of school administrators being Hamas members.