London, 1 May 2025 — The Palestinian Return Centre (PRC) has initiated a diplomatic correspondence campaign targeting United Nations Member States, urging them to express full support for the ongoing proceedings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) concerning Israel’s sustained attacks on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

This legal review, which began on 28 April 2025, seeks to determine the legality of Israel's repeated and systematic targeting of UNRWA personnel, facilities, and aid convoys operating in the Gaza Strip. According to PRC, these attacks constitute serious violations of international law and a direct assault on the international humanitarian system.

To date, over 280 UNRWA staff members have been killed, and dozens of the agency’s facilities have been destroyed. Thousands of civilians sheltering in UNRWA schools and buildings have been displaced, injured, or killed. Moreover, credible reports indicate that Israeli forces have arbitrarily detained UNRWA employees and subjected them to torture.

These actions occur in the broader context of what the ICJ has already recognised as a possible genocide against the Palestinian population in Gaza, leading to a January 2024 ruling imposing provisional measures on Israel to prevent further genocidal acts.

"The international community must not remain silent," said a PRC spokesperson. "UNRWA plays a vital role in delivering education, healthcare, shelter, and emergency assistance to millions of Palestinian refugees. Efforts to delegitimise or defund the agency are not only unjustifiable but dangerously undermine the protection of vulnerable civilians and the credibility of the international legal system."

PRC’s campaign reminds UN Member States that UNRWA operates under a clear mandate consistently renewed by the General Assembly since its establishment. Its services represent the bare minimum of international responsibility toward refugees displaced since the 1948 Nakba, who have been systematically denied their right to return.

In its letters, PRC calls on Member States to:

Publicly support the ICJ’s review and cooperate with its investigation; 

Reaffirm and increase political and financial support for UNRWA;

Advocate for the implementation of the ICJ’s provisional measures;

Demand sustained international oversight to prevent further attacks on UN bodies.

PRC urges governments not to turn their backs on UNRWA and the people it serves. At stake is not only the agency’s survival but the principles of justice, accountability, and protection of civilians in armed conflict.