TEL AVIV: Beginning on January 30, Israel is suspending all interaction with the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the...
TEL AVIV: Beginning on January 30, Israel is suspending all interaction with the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Israeli Foreign Ministry Spokesman Oren Marmorstein said.
"Beginning on January 30 and in accordance with Israeli law, Israel will have no contact with UNRWA," he wrote on the X social network. That said, he noted that "Israel remains committed to facilitating humanitarian aid to Gaza in accordance with international law and the framework for the hostage release. In fact, Israel is facilitating the entry of even more humanitarian aid trucks into Gaza than agreed in the hostage release framework."
According to the diplomat, "there are multiple alternative organizations to UNRWA—including UN agencies, international NGOs, and foreign countries—that are already operating to facilitate humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip, and their role will only increase."
On Wednesday, Israeli government spokesman David Mencer said at a news briefing that within 48 hours, Israel would shut down all UNRWA offices, stop communication with members of the organization and ban its activities in the country.
On January 25, Israeli envoy to the UN Danny Danon notified the organization’s secretary general that the UNRWA should cease all its activities in Israel by January 30.
On October 28, the Israeli parliament passed a bill banning UNRWA activities in the country in a 92-10 vote. The bill prohibits the UNRWA from having offices, providing services and carrying out, directly or indirectly, any activities on Israeli territory.
The bill was put together following reports that the agency’s employees participated in Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Israel has repeatedly asserted that many UNRWA employees have links to Hamas’ military wing.
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