Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is introducing legislation that would allow American victims of terror groups to hold the organizations that fund those groups accountable in a court of law. The Texas Republican is reintroducing the Limiting Immunity for Assisting Backers of Lethal Extremism (LIABLE) Act, which is similar to a bill he introduced during the last Congress. That version had the backing of then-Sen. Marco Rubio.
As of now, Americans are able to sue foreign governments in specific cases outlined in the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA), but they are unable to sue international organizations, which enjoy immunity under the International Organization Immunities Act (IOIA). However, the LIABLE Act would create an exception in the IOIA, allowing Americans to sue organizations that knowingly provide support or resources to terrorist groups.
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"UNRWA has knowingly provided salaries and materials to Hamas for decades. That support enabled Hamas to arm itself, create its vast underground terrorist infrastructure, and launch its October 7th atrocities on Israel," Cruz said in a statement on the original piece of legislation introduced in 2024. "That attack included the murder and kidnapping of dozens of Americans. The victims and their families deserve the ability to hold UNRWA accountable in court for its support of Hamas and for what happened on October 7th."
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is a major target of this legislation. UNRWA has faced accusations of aiding Hamas before, during and after the terror group carried out its Oct. 7 massacre. In August 2024, the agency fired nine workers who were allegedly involved in the attacks, which left 1,200 dead and 251 taken hostage.
"The legislation is premised on a false narrative that was debunked more than a year ago by the U.S. National Intelligence Council, which confirmed that UNRWA is not aligned in any way with Hamas," William Deere, Director of UNRWA's Representative Office in Washington, told Fox News Digital.
Fox News Digital did not provide Deere with a copy of the updated legislation and used the 2024 bill as a reference in its request for comment.
"The report also noted that Israeli dislike of UNRWA serves to mischaracterize its assessments of the agency resulting in distortions. Rhetoric equating UNRWA with Hamas is factually incorrect, disrespectful, and dangerous to the UNRWA workforce providing health, education and social services in the multiple conflict zones across the Agency's five operating areas," Deere said.
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The Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), identified Hamas Nukhba commander Mohammad Abu Itiwi, who was involved in the Oct. 7 massacre, as a former UNRWA employee.
U.N. watchdog organization U.N. Watch published a report in November 2023 that detailed instances of UNRWA teachers celebrating the Oct. 7 attacks on their personal social media accounts. One such example was Rawya Halas, Director of the UNRWA Khan Younis Training Center, who called one of the alleged Oct. 7 perpetrators a "hero" and the "prince of Khan Younis." Halas was featured in an UNRWA campaign just weeks after the deadly attacks in Israel.
However, alleged ties between UNRWA and Palestinian terror groups, like Hamas, were uncovered long before Oct. 7, 2023.
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In 2008, Reuters reported that UNRWA science teacher Awad al-Qiq allegedly built rockets for Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). The outlet reported at the time that al-Qiq's family denied he was involved in terrorism, but militant leaders hailed him as a martyr and the head of PIJ's "engineering unit."
The U.S. paused its funding to UNRWA in 2024 under then-President Joe Biden, prior to the completion of the agency's investigation into its staff's possible involvement in the Oct. 7 attacks. In 2025, President Donald Trump issued an executive order that pulled U.S. funding from several U.N. organizations, including UNRWA.
