The Himaya Center for Human Rights has followed with grave concern the decision of the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) to dismiss 70 employees in the Gaza Strip on the basis of allegations advanced by the Israeli occupation authorities. This decision was taken without the publication of the results of any independent and transparent investigation and without providing the public or competent bodies access to credible legal evidence that could justify such a serious measure.
The Himaya Center for Human Rights strongly condemns this decision, which contravenes international legal standards and the principles of due process and procedural justice that should guide the work of United Nations institutions. The Center affirms that UNRWA’s compliance with pressures exerted by the occupying power—which has for years sought to undermine the Agency’s mandate and replace it with alternative international mechanisms for the provision of services to Palestinian refugees—amounts to a troubling capitulation that compromises the independence of UN institutions and erodes Palestinian confidence in the international system.
The Center further notes the occupation authorities’ longstanding record of employing security allegations and misleading claims to target Palestinians and undermine their rights. It considers UNRWA’s reliance on such allegations, and its dismissal of 70 employees without substantiated evidence, a dangerous precedent that enables punitive measures against individuals without a fair hearing, due process guarantees, or evidence subject to independent review and scrutiny.
While reiterating its condemnation of this decision, the Himaya Center emphasizes that these arbitrary measures target Gazan employees who are already enduring the devastating consequences of an ongoing war, including widespread killing, starvation, displacement, and destruction. The dismissal of employees without adequate legal safeguards adds a further layer of injustice to the broader pattern of violations suffered by Palestinians.
Accordingly, the Himaya Center for Human Rights:
1. Affirms that the dismissal of the Palestinian employees constitutes an arbitrary measure lacking the fundamental requirements of justice, transparency, and due process.
2. Calls on UNRWA management to fully disclose the legal basis and evidentiary grounds upon which this decision was made.
3. Demands the establishment of an independent and impartial international commission of inquiry to review all procedures and allegations related to the dismissed employees.
4. Urges the United Nations and donor states to safeguard UNRWA’s independence from political pressure and coercive measures imposed by the Israeli occupation government.
Himaya Center for Human Rights
June 13, 2026