UN officials told The New York Times that UNRWA , the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, is preparing to cease its activities in Gaza and the West Bank. The report comes about two months after the Knesset passed two pieces of legislation banning the organization's activities in its territory, and which went into effect this month.
After the Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023, there was criticism in Israel against UNRWA over the involvement of some of its employees in the deadly attack. A UN investigation confirmed that nine of the organization's employees did indeed take an active part in the events and cooperated with Hamas. In light of the findings, the Knesset approved laws prohibiting UNRWA from operating in its territory. These laws, which will come into effect this month, prevent any cooperation with the organization. This will limit the organization's ability to continue its activities in the West Bank and Gaza, which require coordination with the IDF.
“It would be a massive impact on an already catastrophic situation,” Jamie McGoldrick, who oversaw the U.N. humanitarian operation across Gaza and the West Bank until April, told the New York Times. “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?”
“We gave the government 90 days, and, actually, the entire world 90 days,” said Yuli Edelstein, the chairman of the parliamentary committee that drafted the UNRWA bills. “Whoever truly cares about the population, let them bring about the groups that would help.”
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In Israel, support for the move to shut down UNRWA is growing.
Knesset lawmaker Dan Illouz of the Likud, who was one of the initiators of the law against UNRWA, said: "We succeeded! The historic law that I initiated to disconnect UNRWA from Israel is proving itself. The world is beginning to understand that UNRWA is an arm of Hamas and not an aid organization. Its employees were complicit in the October 7 massacre, its institutions hid weapons, and it educated generations of terrorists. Now, with its collapse, we are striking at the heart of the terror apparatus."
“Israel has taken the first step – now the world must complete it. UNRWA must not only be reduced, it must disappear. This is a huge achievement for Israel’s security and the fight against terrorism!” said Illouz.