UN Palestinian Aid Agency Faces Lawsuits from U.S. Victims of Hamas and Hezbollah Attacks
In a significant turn of events, a lawsuit filed by over 200 U.S. citizens in 2025 accused the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) of violating U.S. antiterrorism laws by promoting terrorism and providing support—including funds and employment—to terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah.
The lawsuit, filed in a Washington district court last week, alleges that the support provided by UNRWA allowed these terror groups to build up their infrastructure, recruit, indoctrinate, radicalize, train, and compensate terrorists. The plaintiffs seek unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.
The Mathias family, represented by Deborah Mathias and her husband, Shlomi Mathias, is suing UNRWA for the deaths of their loved ones caused by Hamas. This lawsuit follows a similar one filed last year in New York.
However, UNRWA has strongly denied these allegations, calling the lawsuit "meritless, absurd, dangerous, and morally reprehensible." The agency asserts that its mission is legal, moral, and humanitarian, and accuses the plaintiffs of spreading misinformation aimed at dismantling the agency.
Importantly, a U.S. federal district court dismissed the civil lawsuit, ruling the claims against UNRWA and its U.S.-based nonprofit UNRWA USA as baseless and politically motivated attempts to defund the organization. UNRWA USA highlighted that the lawsuit was intended to intimidate them away from their humanitarian work amid a dire situation in Gaza.
Israel has also been involved in the controversy, designating UNRWA as a terrorist group in 2024 and banning its operations within Israel. However, this designation is not internationally recognized and remains highly controversial.
Despite the allegations, UNRWA remains a significant provider of humanitarian aid to Palestinian refugees and counts the U.S. as one of its largest donors. Historically, UNRWA has been the largest distributor of assistance across Gaza, where an Israeli blockade on the entry of aid including food continues amid a worsening hunger crisis.
UNRWA has condemned the lawsuit, calling it "baseless" and part of a "coordinated campaign" to distract from its goal of providing aid to Palestinians. The agency has also faced criticism from the Israeli government, particularly after the October 7 attacks, with Israel claiming (without providing evidence) that UNRWA employees had taken part.
In summary, while the lawsuit accused UNRWA of promoting terrorism and supporting groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, these claims have been firmly rejected by UNRWA and dismissed by the U.S. court.
[1] New York Times [2] NPR [3] Haaretz [4] Reuters [5] CNN
- Despite the dismissal of a lawsuit in a Washington district court, claims against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) have continued to surface, with allegations of support for terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah being posed, as reported in General News by various media outlets such as The New York Times, NPR, Haaretz, Reuters, and CNN.
- The controversy surrounding UNRWA has also been the subject of ongoing discussions in world politics, with Israel designating UNRWA as a terrorist group in 2024 and banning its operations within the country. This move, however, remains controversial on the international stage, as reported in Crime and Justice and politics sections of news outlets.
- UNRWA, staunchly denying these allegations, has been a significant provider of humanitarian aid to Palestinian refugees. The Middle East region, notably countries like Israel, Palestine, and Lebanon (war-and-conflicts), have been heavily reliant on UNRWA's assistance, particularly in dire situations such as the ongoing hunger crisis in Gaza.
- Amidst the political and legal turmoil, UNRWA has faced criticism from various sources for its supposed links to terror groups. UNRWA has repeatedly condemned these allegations as baseless, stating that its goal is purely humanitarian in nature, as reported in policy-and-legislation and news sections.
- The Mathias family, represented by Deborah Mathias and her husband, Shlomi Mathias, sued UNRWA for the deaths of their loved ones caused by Hamas in a lawsuit filed last year in New York, adding to the growing list of legal actions that question UNRWA's policy and the support the agency supposedly provides to terrorist organizations.
