Israel bans UN relief agency from operating within its borders

The Israeli parliament has voted to approve two bills banning the United Nations Relief and Works Agency from operating in Israel.

The UNRWA agency will still be able to operate in the Palestinian territories, but being banned from Israel will severely impact its activities in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, according to local media.

“These bills increase the suffering of the Palestinians and are nothing less than collective punishment,” said Philippe Lazzarini, the UNRWA’s commissioner-general.

The United States has also expressed concerns about the legislation, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has justified by citing the alleged involvement of UNRWA workers in the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas on Israel in which more than 1,200 people were killed.

“UNRWA workers involved in terrorist activities against Israel must be held accountable,” Netanyahu said in a statement on X.

Israel and the UNRWA have an acrimonious history, which has worsened since Oct. 7. Several European countries suspended funding to the UNRWA after Israel first alleged, without presenting evidence, that some of the agency’s workers were involved in the Hamas attacks.

After most countries resumed funding to the agency, a U.N. investigation found that nine staff “may have been involved in the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attacks against Israel.” All were fired from their UNWRA positions.

Israel has killed at least 230 UNRWA staff during its military campaign in Gaza.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza is dire and deteriorating, the UN said Monday, with Israel preventing aid workers from reaching people trapped under rubble over the weekend. Famine is imminent in the enclave, with half of Gaza’s population facing catastrophic food insecurity, watchdogs say.

Netanyahu’s statement on X also said: “Since avoiding a humanitarian crisis is also essential, sustained humanitarian aid must remain available in Gaza now and in the future.”