Israel’s parliament is considering two bills this week that could significantly limit the work of UNRWA, the United Nations relief agency for Palestinians in Israeli-occupied territory. It comes at a time when the United Nations says the humanitarian crisis has pushed “Gaza into the abyss” and that all residents of northern Gaza are “at risk of death.”
The United Nations said if the bill passes Israel’s Knesset, Israel’s parliament, the provision of food, shelter and medical care “will come to a standstill” and that 600,000 children in the Gaza Strip alone will be “the only one who can restart.” He added that they would lose their “existence.” Education is putting the fate of an entire generation at risk. ”
According to the United Nations, the proposed bill would also abolish many health, education and social services in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
The Israeli government claims that some UNRWA personnel have ties to Hamas. Following an investigation by the United Nations Oversight Office (OIOS), the United Nations announced in August that it would dismiss nine staff members working for UNRWA for their possible involvement in the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. OIOS added that it could not independently authenticate the information Israel used to support its claims. Several governments suspended funding to the agency during investigations. Most countries have since resumed funding to UNRWA, but the United States has not.
On Sunday, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Japan and South Korea expressed “grave concerns” over the proposed ban in a joint letter.
“UNRWA provides essential lifesaving humanitarian assistance and basic services to Palestinian refugees in Gaza, East Jerusalem, the West Bank and across the region. The provision of aid and services such as education, health care and fuel distribution in the Gaza Strip will be significantly hampered, if not impossible, with a devastating impact on the already critical and rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation, particularly in the Gaza Strip. Northern Gaza.
The United States has also expressed concerns about the impact of the proposed legislation.
The measure would halt UNRWA’s operations in Israel and its occupied territories, affecting 2.5 million people, but the agency would support millions of other Palestinian refugees in five locations in the Middle East. are.
Find out how many Palestinian refugees are registered in UNRWA’s services and where they are registered.
