Trump expected to sign executive order halting funding to Palestinian group UNRWA

Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order during his first week in office that would halt funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, better known as UNRWA.

In 2018, Trump also halted funding to UNRWA due to concerns about how the organization was being run and where the funding was going.

Amid the most recent Israel-Palestine conflict that kicked off after Oct. 7th, UNRWA has been the subject of a lot of controversy. A year ago, It was reported that UNRWA members participated in the October 7th attacks against Israeli citizens. This lead to congress passing a law that included a pause in funding to the agency until March 2025. Trump is expected to expand on that ban with his executive order.

An UNRWA teacher’s card was found on Yaya Sinwar, former leader of Hamas that was killed by the IDF in October of 2024.