'UNRWA is Hamas': Hundreds of activists protest Jerusalem UNRWA offices

Hundreds of activists protested outside of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) offices in Jerusalem on Wednesday to call for the return of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.

Activists from the Tzav 9 protest movement have repeatedly demonstrated and called for the return of the Gaza hostages.

The protest movement has been involved in blocking humanitarian aid trucks at Gaza border crossings. In recent hours, they arrived at UNRWA offices at Ammunition Hill in Jerusalem and blocked the entrances to the organization's offices.

In a statement, Tzav 9 noted that "UNRWA knows where the hostages are and refuses to say. We came here to disrupt the organization's activities and demand: bring the hostages home."

The protesters carried signs and rallied around the offices, even replacing UNRWA's sign at the entrance by placing a display written in red that stated "blood on your hands."

This comes amid the ongoing Gaza war and struggles to strike a ceasefire and deal that would see the return of the Gaza hostages. It also comes in the context of Israeli public distrust of UNRWA, an organization that has been investigated, with several members found guilty of having participated in the October 7 massacre in southern Israel, along with ties to Hamas. 

In attendance was the grandmother of hostage Elyakim Liebman, who cried out, "You know where he is and where everyone is. You can return him now, along with the other hostages. Why won't you do it? Why don't you help them return to their families? It's been over 160 days, we wait every day, expect every day, bring them home now!"

Protest movement founders speak against UNRWA

One of the founders of the protest movement, Shlomo Sharid, spoke of his experience serving as a soldier in Gaza and coming across tunnels and ammunition found in UNRWA complexes. 

"I was inside Gaza, my friends and I saw inside tunnels, we saw that inside every kindergarten there is a tunnel, inside every school there is a warehouse full of ammunition, and UNRWA teaches materials that incite terrorism," he said. "It can be understood that UNRWA is the root of Hamas, and we are at war against them."

Another founder of Tzav 9, Reut Ben Haim, said, "UNRWA is Hamas and a terrorist organization for all intents and purposes. To give terrorists, whose goal is the elimination of Israel, an office in the heart of Jerusalem is a disgrace that must be stopped."

"We will continue to come here [to UNRWA's offices] while they operate in Jerusalem. It's time to put an end to the fact that murderers roam the capital of Israel."