UNRWA warns of Israeli ban cutting aid to millions in Gaza
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UNRWA spokesperson Juliette Touma called on the Knesset to reverse its decision immediately.
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Israeli troops take position as they enter the UNRWA headquarters in Gaza, on Thursday, February 8, 2024. (AP)
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has issued an urgent warning about an impending Israeli ban on its operations in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, and al-Quds. The ban, resulting from legislation passed by the Israeli Knesset in October, is expected to take effect by the end of January.
Speaking in an interview with Ireland's RTE on Friday, UNRWA spokesperson Juliette Touma stressed the critical nature of the situation. "The clock is ticking for a possible ban on UNRWA to deliver essential services for millions of Palestine refugees," she said. Touma noted that this move would be "unprecedented" in UN history and called on the Knesset to reverse its decision immediately.
"It has never happened in the history of the United Nations that a member state decides to ban a UN agency, in the middle of a war, from doing its work," Touma pointed out, adding that the UN has no plans to replace the agency's role in the occupied territories.
⏰The clock is ticking for a possible ban on UNRWA to deliver essential services for millions of #PalestineRefugees in #Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) January 4, 2025
Our @JulietteTouma tells to @RTE that the UN is not planning to replace UNRWA. “What needs to happen is for… pic.twitter.com/0caZfBC0oQ
The legislation passed by "Israel's" parliament mandates a complete withdrawal of UNRWA within 90 days, including the closure of its offices and freezing of its financial accounts in "Israel." The law also designates UNRWA as a terror group, nullifying a 1967 agreement that allowed the agency to assist Palestinian refugees in Israeli-occupied areas.
Read more: Israeli threat to ban UNRWA looms over Gaza: NYT
This development comes amid ongoing violence in Gaza, where over 45,717 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have died since October 2023. The ban on UNRWA has drawn further international scrutiny of "Israel's" actions, as it is currently facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
On December 20, 2024, Sweden announced it will no longer provide funding to UNRWA. In light of the impending ban, the Nordic nation stated that it would redirect humanitarian aid to Gaza through alternative organizations, according to Aid Minister Benjamin Dousa.
"There are several other organizations in Gaza; I have just been there and met several of them," Dousa told reporters, citing the UN World Food Programme as a potential partner.
