Date: 12/06/2026
Abu Holi Calls on the Acting UNRWA Commissioner-General to Immediately and Unconditionally Revoke the Arbitrary Dismissal Decisions, Uphold Employees’ Rights, and Describes the Move as Submission to Israeli Demands
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The Refugee Affairs Department of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) today rejected the decision issued by the Acting Commissioner-General of UNRWA, Christian Saunders, to dismiss 70 agency employees in the Gaza Strip based on unsubstantiated allegations submitted by the Israeli occupation authorities accusing them of affiliation with Hamas.
For his part, Dr. Ahmed Abu Holi, Member of the PLO Executive Committee and Head of the Refugee Affairs Department, condemned the agency administration’s submission to external political dictates and pressures, and its adoption of arbitrary and sudden dismissal decisions without relying on independent professional and legal investigations conducted through the authorized official channels, namely the Ethics Office, the Office of Internal Oversight Services, or an independent UN committee.
Abu Holi affirmed that UNRWA’s resort to such a step and its adoption of this serious decision constitute a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the principles of the United Nations Charter governing the rights and protection of employees.
He stressed that the Refugee Affairs Department and its Popular Committees in all refugee camps will not stand idly by in the face of these unjust and arbitrary decisions, whose danger extends beyond merely depriving the UN agency of its employees and professional staff, to posing a direct and alarming threat to social peace and stability within the Palestinian refugee camps at a time when our people are enduring some of the harshest circumstances.
Abu Holi firmly rejected UNRWA management’s justification of the measure under the pretext of “protecting the Agency’s best interests,” emphasizing that UNRWA’s supreme interests are solely grounded in safeguarding its mandate and UN authorization granted under United Nations General Assembly Resolution 302 through the continued provision of its essential services to Palestinian refugees across its five fields of operation, as well as protecting the rights and security of its personnel—not emptying the Agency of its employees and expertise or yielding to the occupation’s allegations and falsehoods.
Abu Holi reminded the Commissioner-General of a series of previous Israeli allegations that were proven false through independent investigations, most notably the report of the Independent Review Group established by the UN Secretary-General on 5 February 2024 and chaired by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna. The report, officially issued on 22 April 2024, clearly confirmed that UNRWA possesses systems that ensure neutrality and refuted the Israeli allegations, noting that the occupying power had failed to provide evidence supporting its accusations.
He further stressed that these decisions directly contradict the international legal framework, particularly the historic advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice, which clearly affirmed that Israel failed to substantiate or provide evidence supporting its allegations regarding UNRWA infiltration or lack of neutrality, and underscored the illegality of any measures aimed at undermining the Agency or obstructing its work.
Abu Holi called on the Acting Commissioner-General of UNRWA to immediately and unconditionally reverse the arbitrary dismissal decisions and to uphold and protect the legal and human dignity rights of the employees, free from submission or acquiescence to the occupation’s allegations. He noted that the occupation continues to target the UN agency through legislation banning its activities in occupied Jerusalem and undermining its mandate in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, as well as through the direct military targeting of its premises and personnel.
