Israel Bans Unrwa: What This Means for Palestinian Aid
Israel’s Knesset has approved a law prohibiting the United Nations' Palestinian refugee agency, Unrwa, from operating in Israel and East Jerusalem within a three-month timeframe.
On Monday evening, Israel’s parliament passed legislation that prohibits the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency, known as UNRWA, from operating within Israel and occupied East Jerusalem. This law restricts communication between UNRWA staff and Israeli officials, significantly hampering the agency’s ability to function in Gaza and the West Bank. The majority of Gaza’s over two million residents rely on aid and services provided by UNRWA.
The decision has drawn considerable criticism, with UNRWA warning that this legislation could lead to a collapse of aid supply chains in the near future. In defense of the ban, Israeli officials have reiterated accusations that some UNRWA employees played a role in Hamas’s attacks on October 7, 2023, which resulted in numerous casualties.
UNRWA was established in 1949 to support Palestinians displaced during the creation of Israel. Initially aimed at assisting around 700,000 refugees, it has since expanded into the largest UN agency operating in Gaza. The agency employs approximately 13,000 individuals in the region and is essential for delivering humanitarian aid. It relies mainly on voluntary contributions from member states of the United Nations while also receiving some direct funding from the organization itself.
The agency provides various forms of assistance, including food distribution and medical services. Since the onset of conflict in Gaza, it has supplied food parcels to nearly 1.9 million individuals and conducted almost six million medical consultations amidst ongoing hostilities. However, more than 200 UNRWA personnel have reportedly lost their lives due to Israeli military actions since October 2023.
Israel has long criticized UNRWA’s existence and its policies regarding refugee status inheritance across generations, suggesting that this perpetuates a cycle of dependency among Palestinians. The Israeli government has also accused the agency’s educational materials of fostering anti-Israel sentiments; an Israeli watchdog previously claimed that these materials portrayed Israel as attempting to erase Palestinian identity.
Following allegations linking some UNRWA staff to Hamas after the October attacks, calls for banning the agency intensified within Israel. While an internal investigation resulted in nine terminations based on specific claims, broader allegations remain unsubstantiated according to UN assessments.
With this new law now enacted—approved by 92 members of parliament against just 10—contact between UNRWA personnel and Israeli officials will be prohibited. This ban complicates operational logistics for aid delivery in Gaza since agreements with Israel are critical for facilitating movement through checkpoints. William Deere, director of UNRWA, expressed concerns that such restrictions would make it nearly impossible for staff to conduct their work safely and effectively within Gaza.
Israel’s Knesset has approved a law prohibiting the United Nations' Palestinian refugee agency, Unrwa, from operating in Israel and East Jerusalem within a three-month timeframe.
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