Tensions have flared between the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and the Hamas movement, following activities carried out by the international organization that the Islamic movement considered to be outside the scope of its humanitarian functions, which should be limited to providing relief and social services.

Issam Adwan, head of the Hamas-affiliated Refugee Affairs Department, said in a video posted on YouTube by the department, that UNRWA has been organizing trips for refugee school students from Gaza to the US and Europe. “The UNRWA yields to the demands of Western countries. It does not have our best interest at heart. Therefore, we ought to cautiously deal with its projects,” he said.

In the video, titled “UNRWA’s suspicious trips,” Adwan said that the movement has objected to the trips organized for adolescent students for  five “psychological” reasons. According to the Islamic movement, “Students will be dazzled by these new places and would dream of returning there to enjoy themselves again. They would lose their sense of nationalism and become detached from their social values. They would feel a sense of defeatism and inferiority and would have difficulty adapting to reality and reintegrating into their society.”

The UNRWA canceled a marathon that was scheduled to be held in Gaza, when the Hamas government banned women from participating in it. Moreover, the international organization has included in students’ curriculum a human rights article, which, according to Hamas, is in direct conflict with the Islamic faith as it promotes personal freedom and the right to choose one’s own religion. This has sparked controversy and an exchange of accusations between Hamas and UNRWA.