UNRWA, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, strongly denied today Sunday a report that it is preparing to end its activities in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, in light of Knesset legislation passed that bans the organization's activities on Israeli soil. The denial comes after the report in the New York Times on Friday, which claimed that the agency "is preparing to close its activities due to new Israeli restrictions."
The report quoted Louise Wateridge, a senior UNRWA official, as saying that the law would undermine the necessary coordination with Israel to deliver aid to the territories. According to her, "the lives of our staff will be at risk" if information is not shared with Israeli authorities.
Closing the operation "would be a massive impact on an already catastrophic situation,”," added Jamie McGoldrick, who was in charge of UN aid operations in Gaza and the West Bank until April. " “If that is what the Israeli intention is — to remove any ability for us to save lives — you have to question what is the thinking and what is the end goal?”
UNRWA supporters claim that the cessation of operations would be a fatal blow to the Palestinian population. “The world has abandoned us. We have nothing but the aid we get from UNRWA to survive,” Sami Abu Darweesh, 30, who lives in a refugee camp in southern Gaza run by UNRWA, told the newspaper. “If that stops, what will we do?”
Juliette Thom, UNRWA's communications director, rejected the report, describing it as "grossly inaccurate." Thom noted that the agency's director-general, Philippe Lazarini, had previously stressed the agency's commitment to continuing to provide essential services. She said, "If someone has an opinion, that doesn't mean it's right."
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The Israeli law, submitted by Knesset lawmaker Dan Illouz of the Likud Party and set to take effect this month, prohibits UNRWA activities in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank by preventing any official contact between Israeli officials and the agency, including the IDF.
How Did Israel Ban UNRWA?
(ILTV News)
The bill against UNRWA, which was approved about two months ago, came after numerous publications about its connection to the October 7 massacre, and following a UN report confirming that nine of the agency's employees took an active part in the Hamas attack.
Pressure on UNRWA increased after many Western countries, including the US, Switzerland and Britain, froze or halted funding to the agency, citing "fear of funds being used for terrorist purposes," a move that further exacerbated the difficulties for the agency.