Film Documents UNRWA’s Close Ties to Hamas Terrorism

By Kaspar Schwarzenbach

The Facts: During the third week of the session at the Federal Palace, the Switzerland-Israel Parliamentary Friendship Group screened the documentary“UNraveling UNRWA”: The Israeli-German production shows in detail how, in the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis, UNRWA keeps the idea of the “right of return” alive in the minds of Palestinians and promotes extremist ideology in schools.

Why this matters: Since 2000, UNRWA has received more than 500 million Swiss francs from Swiss taxpayers alone. An attempt to cut off this funding failed in Parliament in March 2025. Before the issue is raised again in the Council, all members of Parliament should watch “UNraveling UNRWA.”

In detail: The film features experts, activists, and former employees—including several former heads of the organization. UNRWA is said to bear significant responsibility for the fact that Palestinians continue to cling to the idea of the “right of return” to this day. In UNRWA schools, Palestinians are indoctrinated and literally trained to become terrorists—a claim confirmed, for example, by the organization’s former head of education.

As a whole, UNRWA cannot be reformed: Therefore, it must be dissolved and replaced by a new aid organization that can operate free from the influence of Hamas and other terrorists. You can rent the film through the official website.

Controversial: The association “Focus on Israel and the Middle East” organized the screening in collaboration with the parliamentary friendship group. Several members of parliament, a representative from the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, and the Israeli ambassador accepted the invitation. However, not a single representative from the SP or the Greens found the time to learn about the activities of this so-called aid organization—even though it is the Left and the Greens who are vehement advocates for UNRWA and should therefore have a particularly strong interest in the issue.

Quote from EDU National Council member Erich Vontobel: “It has long since ceased to be a neutral relief agency—UNRWA is part of a system that keeps the conflict alive. Switzerland should consistently redirect its contributions to alternative aid organizations. Aid, yes—but not through UNRWA. The film should be broadcast by SRF: It shows a side of UNRWA that is rarely covered by major media outlets. Western countries have provided UNRWA with billions over the decades—which makes it all the more important to critically examine the extent to which these funds ultimately benefited Hamas and its terrorist apparatus.”

Here is what the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) says: “Given the continuing difficult situation and the lack of a political solution that would allow for the transfer of UNRWA’s responsibilities to the Palestinian Authority, UNRWA continues to provide urgently needed support by delivering humanitarian aid and quasi-governmental services.”

The FDFA does not wish to comment on the documentary—as a matter of principle, it does not comment on individual documentaries. However, the FDFA takes seriously the allegations that “some” UNRWA employees are “suspected” of having been involved in the terrorist attacks of October 7. The International Court of Justice has, however, determined that there is “no evidence” to suggest that UNRWA is not carrying out its mandate “in an impartial and neutral manner.”

Here’s what UN Watch says: The nongovernmental organization has been monitoring United Nations decisions and activities since 1993. In an interview, Daniel Radomski explains that Switzerland should stop supporting UNRWA: “For a long time, the public was fobbed off with the excuse that the ties to Hamas were isolated cases—but it is now clear that this is not true.”

“UNRWA was unable to prevent Hamas from infiltrating an institution entrusted with the education of hundreds of thousands of children.”

Daniel Radomski of “UN Watch” in an interview with “Nebelspalter”

Radomski is convinced: “It is right to continue supporting the Palestinian civilian population, but this should be done through organizations that are not compromised and whose primary role is not to perpetuate the problem.”

The claim that there is no alternative to UNRWA is “simply false,” says Radomski: “Sweden concluded that supporting the Palestinians does not require core funding for UNRWA. Since then, Stockholm has increased its humanitarian aid in the region—but supports only organizations such as UNICEF, the World Food Program, or the International Red Cross.”

Here’s what SRF says: The public broadcaster has not aired any specific film on this topic since October 7: “The film ‘UNraveling UNRWA’ was not offered to SRF. There are currently no plans to air it,” explains the SRF press office.

“However, SRF’s editorial teams continuously report on the Middle East conflict in their news coverage, including UNRWA’s role, related allegations, and international investigations and reactions,” the media office writes in response to an inquiry.

This article first appeared in Nebelspalter.