The United Nations has issued a strong statement, saying it's not responsible for replacing UNRWA, the Palestinian relief agency in Gaza and the West Bank, signaling that Israel will need to step in if the agency is unable to continue its work.
This comes as Israel moves to cut ties with UNRWA under a new law that could end the agency's protections, movement rights, and diplomatic immunity within Israel by late January.
UN RESPONSE ON UNRWA
In a letter addressed to Israel, the U.N. makes clear that it won't be taking over the responsibilities of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, noting that the U.N. doesn't have the capacity—nor the obligation—to replace UNRWA's services.
The decision follows Israel's announcement that it is ending a 1967 cooperation agreement with UNRWA, accusing the agency of enabling terrorism. Israel says that some UNRWA members were involved in the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israelis, while. UNRWA denies that a significant portion of its staff are affiliated with terrorist groups.
While Israel has yet to respond to the recent U.N. statements formally, its current priority is addressing the ongoing hostage crisis. Israel's U.N. ambassador, Danny Danon, spoke at the U.N. alongside Mia Schem, a former hostage held by Hamas and released in a hostage exchange last November. Dannon emphasized Israel's concerns about lacking U.N. support on this critical hostage issue.
"We in Israel are focused on the hostages - the 101 innocent human beings still held captive,
tortured daily by Hamas," said Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon. "The U.N.'s complete moral failure is unforgivable.
"It is unforgivable that while Mia was locked in a cage alongside other women, none of the U.N. bodies, neither the Security Council nor the General Assembly, found the decency to condemn Hamas and demand the hostages' release," Danon added.
He said the U.N. will continue to focus on UNRWA, "but we will always stay focused on bringing our people home."
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