UNRWA urges reversal of Israel’s ‘unprecedented’ aid ban to millions of Palestinians

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has warned of an impending Israeli ban on the delivery of essential services to millions of Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, and al-Quds. 

UNRWA spokesperson Juliette Touma issued an urgent warning in an interview with Ireland’s RTE on Friday as the ban is expected to take effect by the end of January following a decision by the Israeli Parliament last October.

“The clock is ticking for a possible ban on UNRWA to deliver essential services for millions of Palestine refugees,” Touma said.

She added that the United Nations has no plans to replace the agency in the occupied territories.

She emphasized that such a move would be “unprecedented” in UN history, urging the Israeli parliament to immediately retract the decision.

“It has never happened in the history of the United Nations that a member state decides to ban a UN agency, in the middle of a war, from doing its work,” the UNRWA spokeswoman pointed out.

Late in October, Israel's Knesset enacted legislation prohibiting UNRWA from operating in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, mandating a complete withdrawal within 90 days.

If enforced, the ban would lead to the closure of UNRWA offices and the freezing of its financial accounts in Israel, effectively halting its operations.

Global condemnations pour in after Israel's ban on UN's Palestine aid agency

Global condemnations pour in following Israel

Israeli lawmakers also voted to designate UNRWA as a terror group, nullifying the 1967 agreement that permitted UNRWA to assist Palestinian refugees in the Israeli-occupied territories.

Israel's move to ban the key UN agency that aids Palestinian refugees marks another significant blow against the United Nations system, as Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has consistently labeled UNRWA workers as "terrorists."

Since October 2023, Israel’s genocide in Gaza has resulted in at least 45,717 deaths, most of them women and children, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire.

In November, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued warrants of arrest for Netanyahu and his former minister of military affairs Yoav Gallant "for crimes against humanity and war crimes” committed from at least October 8, 2023, until at least May 20, 2024, the day the prosecution filed the applications for warrants of arrest.

It is the first instance in the court's 22-year history it has issued arrest warrants for Western-allied senior officials.

Israel is also facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its ongoing genocidal war in Gaza.

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