UN Watch Calls for Criminal Probe of Outgoing UNRWA Chief Philippe Lazzarini
As Philippe Lazzarini exits UNRWA, the agency’s most prominent watchdog is asking the UN secretary-general to waive his immunity over alleged failure to confront Hamas infiltration.
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Philippe Lazzarini's tenure as commissioner-general of UNRWA ended this week with the agency facing one of the most serious credibility crises in its history. The US Agency for International Development's Office of Inspector General has referred 101 current or former UNRWA staff for suspension or debarment based on alleged participation in the October 7, 2023, terrorist attacks and/or affiliation with Hamas' military wing, prompting UNRWA to fire 70 staff in Gaza in June 2026.
The findings —from an independent federal investigation — corroborate Israeli intelligence allegations and have led to the first-ever US debarment of a terrorist affiliated with a UN humanitarian agency. On June 30, UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer called on UN Secretary-General António Guterres to waive any immunity available to the outgoing UNRWA chief so national authorities could investigate him for alleged complicity in terrorism, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
A Legal Demand Aimed at UN Immunity
UN Watch’s letter invoked Section 20 of the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations, which states that privileges and immunities are granted in the interests of the UN, “not for the personal benefit” of officials. The same provision says the secretary-general has the “right and the duty” to waive immunity where it would impede justice and can be waived without harming UN interests.
Neuer’s letter argues that Lazzarini was repeatedly warned that Hamas had infiltrated UNRWA’s personnel, schools, unions, facilities, and public-facing structures. UN Watch claims it provided evidence identifying Hamas-affiliated teachers, principals, union leaders, and other employees, while also documenting meetings between senior UNRWA officials and Hamas or other terror figures.
US Federal Investigation Uncovers Systematic Terror Links
In June 2026, the USAID Office of Inspector General referred 101 current or former UNRWA staff for suspension or debarment based on alleged participation in the October 7, 2023, terrorist attacks and/or affiliation with Hamas’ military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades. The individuals included school principals, teachers, security personnel, psychosocial counselors, and medical professionals who allegedly held dual roles as Hamas operatives.
The USAID OIG investigation documented specific cases: a deputy school principal allegedly serving as an al-Qassam deputy company commander, a teacher allegedly serving as squad leader in Hamas’ military security department who tracked explosive devices, and a school principal allegedly assigned to Hamas’ chemical weapons unit whose school concealed anti-tank positions and a tunnel shaft. One teacher allegedly held orders to transport anti-tank missiles during the October 7 attacks.
To date, USAID OIG’s investigation has resulted in referrals for 108 individuals and led to the debarment of Hafez Mousa Mohammed Mousa, identified as a Hamas operative and UNRWA school principal who allegedly coordinated communications with other Hamas members during the October 7 attacks. The action represented the first known debarment by the US of a terrorist affiliated with a UN humanitarian agency. The broader federal probe is examining 1,500 UNRWA staff members for potential terror ties.
Days after the USAID findings were released, UNRWA fired 70 employees in Gaza. A senior US official briefed on the investigation told i24NEWS that “the timing of UNRWA’s decision to terminate dozens of staff appears as a direct response to the USAID Inspector General’s active and ongoing investigation.”
Israel’s Legislative Break With UNRWA
In October 2024, the Knesset passed legislation prohibiting UNRWA from operating missions, providing services, or conducting activities inside Israeli sovereign territory, directly or indirectly. A second law restricted contact between Israeli state authorities and the agency.
The move was condemned by UN officials and humanitarian groups, which argued it would damage relief operations for Palestinians. But Israeli officials framed the laws as a national-security response to an agency they said had become inseparable from Hamas infrastructure in Gaza.
The Question Now
The question raised by UN Watch’s letter is whether Guterres should waive any applicable UN immunity so national authorities can examine allegations against an outgoing agency chief whose agency has already dismissed staff over alleged involvement in the October 7 attacks. For UNRWA’s defenders, waiving immunity would validate a campaign they view as designed to dismantle the agency. For its critics, refusing would confirm that UN accountability ends where political embarrassment begins.
Lazzarini leaves behind an agency still operating, still defended as humanitarian infrastructure, and still facing allegations that terror networks penetrated its ranks. The unresolved issue is not whether UNRWA faced serious neutrality failures; the record shows that it did. The harder question is whether anyone at the top will ever be held responsible for how deep that problem went.