Esther Salifu
Israel has formally notified the United Nations of its decision to cut ties with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), following a parliamentary vote to ban the organization. This move has sparked widespread condemnation from the international community, including the United States.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz stated, “UNRWA, the organization whose employees participated in the October 7 massacre and many of whose employees are Hamas operatives, is part of the problem in the Gaza Strip and not part of the solution.” However, experts warn that this ban could severely impact humanitarian work in Gaza, where UNRWA has provided essential aid and assistance for over seven decades .
Katz dismissed concerns, arguing that only 13% of humanitarian aid to Gaza is delivered through UNRWA, and that the majority comes from other organizations. He assured that Israel would continue to facilitate aid entry into Gaza while maintaining citizen security .
The ban has raised fears about the mobility and access of UNRWA employees in the occupied West Bank, as well as their ability to cross checkpoints and obtain visas and permits from Israeli authorities. UNRWA and other humanitarian agencies have accused Israel of restricting aid flows into Gaza, where 2.4 million people have been displaced at least once during the war .
Amnesty International’s Secretary General, Agnès Callamard, condemned the law, saying, “This unconscionable law is an outright attack on the rights of Palestinian refugees
It amounts to the criminalization of humanitarian aid and will worsen an already catastrophic humanitarian crisis”
The international community is urged to take action, with Callamard emphasizing that “the plight of the Palestinian people would be even more severe if not for UNRWA’s tireless work over the last three quarters of a century” .
