Israel Sever Ties with UNRWA, the Aid Agency in Palestine

On Monday, Israel announced that it had officially informed the United Nations of its decision to sever ties with the agency supporting Palestinian refugees, known as the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, following a vote by lawmakers to ban the organization.

“On the instruction of Foreign Minister Israel Katz, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs notified the UN of the cancellation of the agreement between the State of Israel and UNRWA,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.

“UNRWA, the organisation whose employees participated in the October 7 massacre and many of whose employees are Hamas operatives, is part of the problem in the Gaza Strip and not part of the solution,” Katz was quoted as saying.

Last month, Israel’s parliament approved a proposal to terminate UNRWA’s operations in Israel and occupied East Jerusalem, despite facing condemnation from the international community, including its ally, the United States.

According to experts, the ban on the UN agency, which has provided vital aid and support to Palestinian territories and refugees for over seventy years, would significantly impact humanitarian efforts in Gaza if enforced.

However, Katz dismissed this viewpoint, asserting that only a portion of the aid was being delivered to Gaza by UNRWA.

“Even now, the vast majority of humanitarian aid to Gaza is delivered through other organisations, and only 13 per cent of it is delivered through UNRWA.