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UNRWA Responds to Netanyahu: We Will Continue Until Refugee Crisis is Resolved

A Palestinian man stands next to a cart carrying a flour sack distributed by UNRWA in Khan Younis refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip. Photo: Reuters
A Palestinian man stands next to a cart carrying a flour sack distributed by UNRWA in Khan Younis refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip. Photo: Reuters
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UNRWA Responds to Netanyahu: We Will Continue Until Refugee Crisis is Resolved

A Palestinian man stands next to a cart carrying a flour sack distributed by UNRWA in Khan Younis refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip. Photo: Reuters
A Palestinian man stands next to a cart carrying a flour sack distributed by UNRWA in Khan Younis refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip. Photo: Reuters

In the wake of escalating and angry reactions over the decisions of the US Administration and Israel to strike the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), a spokesman for the UN agency said it would maintain its mission despite the recent crisis, until reaching a solution to the situation of Palestinian refugees.
 
UNRWA official Sami Mushasha stressed that the agency would continue to provide help to Palestinian refugees until a solution to their problem is reached.
 
“UNRWA is assigned by the General Assembly to continue its services until a fair solution to Palestinian refugees issue is reached,” he said in a press statement.
 
In response to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s remarks that the agency was “perpetuating the Palestinian refugee problem” and not providing a solution, Mushasha stated: “What leads to perpetuation of the refugee crisis is the failure of the parties to deal with the issue, which needs to be resolved by the parties to the conflict in the context of peace talks, based on UN resolutions and international law, and with the active participation of the international community.”
 
For his part, the director of the PLO’s Department of Refugee Affairs, Ahmad Hanoun, revealed that contacts were underway to hold an urgent meeting of the UNRWA Advisory Committee to discuss the US threats to stop its financial contributions to UNRWA in an attempt to force the Palestinian Authority to return to the negotiating table with Israel.
 
Hanoun said in a radio interview on Monday that the UN Secretary-General would also be asked that the UN assumes responsibility for the financial deficit resulting from the US decision, noting that there was a financial crisis in the agency before Trump’s threat to stop US financial contribution.
 
He added that the amount of US funding for the agency reached two thirds of UNRWA’s budget and any funding cut would paralyze its work.
 
Meanwhile, Palestinian Prime Minister Rami al-Hamdallah met on Monday with Norwegian Foreign Minister Anne-Marie Eriksen, whose country is one of the largest contributors to UNRWA, to discuss the recent crisis.
 
Hamdallah said that the recent US steps were undermining the two-state solution, calling on the countries of the world, particularly Norway, to recognize the Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

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Arab World

Israel Says It 'Eliminated' Two Hamas and Islamic Jihad Operatives Tied to Major Funding Network

TOPSHOT - A man sits atop a hill near destroyed and heavily-damaged buildings at the Nuseirat camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip on June 19, 2026. (Photo by Eyad Baba / AFP)
TOPSHOT - A man sits atop a hill near destroyed and heavily-damaged buildings at the Nuseirat camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip on June 19, 2026. (Photo by Eyad Baba / AFP)
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Israel Says It 'Eliminated' Two Hamas and Islamic Jihad Operatives Tied to Major Funding Network

TOPSHOT - A man sits atop a hill near destroyed and heavily-damaged buildings at the Nuseirat camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip on June 19, 2026. (Photo by Eyad Baba / AFP)
TOPSHOT - A man sits atop a hill near destroyed and heavily-damaged buildings at the Nuseirat camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip on June 19, 2026. (Photo by Eyad Baba / AFP)

The Israeli military said on Sunday that they "eliminated" Hussein Qadra and ‌Mohammed ‌Farra, operatives in ‌the ⁠military wings of ⁠Hamas and Islamic Jihad, Reuters said.

Qadra, who headed ⁠the ‌network with ‌Farra, acted ‌under ‌Hamas leadership and facilitated the transfer ‌of more than half a billion ⁠shekels ⁠to Hamas, according to an Israeli military X post.

Arab World

Reports: Senior Al-Qaeda Ideologue Sami Al-Uraydi Killed in Syria

Sami Al-Uraydi. (Shaam Network)
Sami Al-Uraydi. (Shaam Network)
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Reports: Senior Al-Qaeda Ideologue Sami Al-Uraydi Killed in Syria

Sami Al-Uraydi. (Shaam Network)
Sami Al-Uraydi. (Shaam Network)

The issue of extremist groups in Syria has returned to the spotlight following reports that Sami Al-Uraydi, one of the most prominent religious ideologues associated with Al-Qaeda’s network in Syria, was killed in a strike by the US-led international coalition overnight Friday into Saturday.

Syrian state television reported that a drone struck a motorcycle near Mashhad Rouhin in the northern Idlib province, killing an unidentified individual, without providing further details.

Local sources in Idlib said four explosions were heard in quick succession.

Sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the target was later identified as Al-Uraydi, also known as Abu Mahmoud Al-Shami, a senior figure in the now-defunct Hurras Al-Din group.

According to the sources, the man had been living in hiding in recent months to evade arrest.

The sources said he and other leaders of Al-Qaeda-linked factions remained targets of coalition operations. They noted intensified drone activity over the Idlib countryside in recent days. Coalition aircraft routinely patrol the region, including areas along the Turkish border.

While neither coalition forces nor the Syrian government have officially confirmed the target’s identity, several local media outlets reported that Al-Uraydi was killed.

A Jordanian national, Sami Mahmoud Mohammad Al-Uraydi was born in Amman in 1973 and held a doctorate in Islamic law. He authored numerous works on hadith and Islamic doctrine and became known in Salafi circles as a close associate of Abu Mohammad Al-Maqdisi, one of the movement’s leading ideologues.

After the outbreak of the Syrian uprising against President Bashar Al-Assad in 2011, Al-Uraydi moved to Syria, where he served as chief religious authority of Jabhat Al-Nusra, Al-Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate, from 2014 to 2016. He emerged as one of the group’s most influential religious theorists and spokesmen on ideological and organizational matters.

When Jabhat Al-Nusra severed ties with Al-Qaeda in 2016 and rebranded itself as Jabhat Fatah Al-Sham, Al-Uraydi opposed the move. The resulting disputes led to his detention in 2017 alongside several other senior figures.

After his release, he helped establish Hurras Al-Din in 2018 under the leadership of Farouq Al-Suri, serving as the group’s chief religious official and a member of its Shura Council.

Al-Uraydi continued to criticize the policies of Jabhat Fatah Al-Sham, which later evolved into Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham.

In 2022, the European Union designated Hurras Al-Din a terrorist organization and imposed sanctions on both Al-Suri and Al-Uraydi.

The US State Department designated Al-Uraydi a Specially Designated Global Terrorist in 2023. Washington had previously placed him on its terrorism list in 2019 and offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his identification or location.

Although Hurras Al-Din formally dissolved itself in 2025 under mounting pressure, its leaders remained targets of coalition operations. Al-Uraydi reportedly continued to live in hiding under the protection of allied factions.

The presence of such groups remains one of Syria’s most complex security challenges. Although Damascus has joined the international coalition against terrorism, several organizations, including ISIS and remnants of dissolved extremist factions, continue to oppose the Syrian government.

Arab World

Iraq to Kick off Crackdown on Money Laundering

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi. (INA)
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi. (INA)
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Iraq to Kick off Crackdown on Money Laundering

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi. (INA)
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi. (INA)

Iraq’s Integrity Commission announced the launch of a review of government contracts and the pursuit of individuals implicated in corruption cases. The government also agreed to cooperate with an international anti-money laundering body, leading experts to suggest that “a long-delayed confrontation with influential political forces may be drawing near.”

The measures come two days after Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi carried out an administrative reshuffle affecting financial and security agencies, as well as the governor of the Central Bank of Iraq.

In remarks carried by the state news agency on Saturday, Integrity Commission Chairman Mohammed Ali Al-Lami stressed the need to scrutinize government contracts, expedite investigations, and adhere to the highest professional standards in reviewing cases.

The goal was to identify shortcomings and negligence, safeguard state rights, and ultimately refer cases to the judiciary, he said.

Mahmoud Dagher, a former Central Bank of Iraq official, described the current government’s approach as “somewhat bold” in dealing with corruption, which he called one of Iraq’s most complex challenges since 2003 because of the powerful interests involved and their deep entrenchment within state institutions.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Dagher said the measures could “provoke the political class,” predicting “a confrontation that has long been postponed between Al-Zaidi and a number of political actors.”

The Integrity Commission had already begun, in late May, forming specialized teams under the direct supervision of its leadership to conduct comprehensive audits and investigations into several major government contracts. The objective is to verify their compliance with the law and present the findings before the courts.

Money laundering

In a related development, a US administration official said Iraq had begun cooperating on anti-money laundering efforts following a nearly two-year review of the country’s framework for combating money laundering and terrorist financing.

The official said Iraq had agreed to work cooperatively with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to address the most significant strategic deficiencies in its anti-money laundering and counterterrorism financing regime.

In a statement, the official stressed that Iraq was demonstrating political will to comply with FATF standards and encouraged Baghdad to maintain its positive momentum and accelerate implementation of the FATF action plan.

Dagher said Iraq remains on the FATF’s grey list for money laundering concerns but has submitted a reform and corrective action program that was accepted by the international body and is currently being implemented.

He added that, by agreeing for the first time to cooperate with an international organization specializing in anti-money laundering oversight, “the Iraqi government has entered a hornet’s nest.”

Dagher explained Iraq was on the FATF grey list before 2018 but was later removed after intensive efforts by its Central Bank.

The country was moved to the “white list,” meaning financial institutions no longer needed to subject transactions involving Iraq to heightened scrutiny, unlike countries that remain on the grey list and face additional review requirements.

The developments come amid media reports that Al-Zaidi’s ongoing reshuffle could affect more than 100 officials across ministries, government departments, and public agencies, regardless of their political or partisan affiliations.

The changes introduced in key security and economic positions have raised questions about the message the prime minister is seeking to send and whether they are a response to external considerations linked to his visit to the United States next month.