Israel has provided UNRWA with a list of 100 employees who are also members of Hamas, and demanded that they be fired immediately.
The letter, dated July 4 and obtained by Fox News Digital, was sent by Ambassador Amir Weissbrod. He wrote that the presence of Hamas terrorists in UNRWA has been a "recurring concern" for Israeli officials.
"However, the full scope of this unprecedented infiltration was unknown and became clear only after the October 7th terrorist attack on Israel, in which, as you know, UNRWA employees actively participated," Weissbrod said.
Israel Warns UNRWA About Hamas Terrorists on Its Payroll
The Israeli government has provided UNRWA with a list of names and military IDs of the terrorist operatives who are currently employed by UNRWA-Gaza.
Weissbrod added that the list contains only a "small fraction" of terrorist operatives employed by UNRWA, and that the names of more employees will be sent in the future.
Israel Warns UNRWA About Hamas Terrorists on Its Payroll
"Israel expects from you and your organization to immediately terminate the employment of any member of Hamas or PIJ…their work in UNRWA poses a security risk for Israel, and represents a breach of the principle of neutrality as was mentioned in Ms. Colonna's report," Weissbrod added.
Hamas is a terrorist organization that has been designated as such by the United States, the European Union, and Israel. The group is responsible for numerous attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers.
Israel Warns UNRWA About Hamas Terrorists on Its Payroll
UNRWA has previously accepted the authenticity of information provided by Israel about Hamas terrorists working within the organization. In January, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini announced that he had fired UNRWA staff members that were involved in the Oct. 7 attacks.
However, Lazzarini has also recently pushed back against Israeli criticism of his organization. During a meeting at the U.N. in Geneva, he said that the UNRWA was "staggering under the weight of relentless attacks."
Israel Warns UNRWA About Hamas Terrorists on Its Payroll
"Israel has long been critical of the agency's mandate. But it now seeks to end UNRWA's operations, dismissing the agency's status as a United Nations entity supported by an overwhelming majority of member states," he said. "If we do not push back, other U.N. entities and international organizations will be next, further undermining our multilateral system."
Fox News Digital reached out to UNRWA for a statement but did not immediately hear back.
