Israel cuts ties with UN agency, creating new obstacles to helping Palestinians

The laws, passed late Monday, effectively ban Unrwa – formally known as the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East – from operating inside Israel and prohibit Israeli government authorities from maintaining contact with it. These provisions would cut off access to Israeli travel permits into the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, as well as coordination with the Israeli military, which Unrwa relies on to ferry personnel and assistance around the Gaza Strip. Israel currently controls all entry points into the Gaza Strip after it took control of the Gaza side of the border with Egypt in May.

The practical impact on care delivery is likely to depend on a number of factors. It is unclear how restrictions will be enforced, and some of Unwra’s activities may be carried out in coordination with other UN agencies. There is also a 90-day transition period before the restrictions take effect.

For months, Israel has tried to shift responsibility for humanitarian services in Gaza to several other UN aid agencies and independent groups operating in the enclave. But Unrwa, which had the largest workforce in the Gaza Strip before the war, is widely seen as the backbone of humanitarian aid in the strip.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has criticized UNRA, but Israel has not developed a clear strategy regarding the agency. Instead, he has taken individual steps, such as the law passed on Monday, which received rare support from political camps in the Israeli Knesset, or parliament.

The US has been calling on Israel to cancel the vote for weeks. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said ahead of Monday’s vote that the US was “deeply concerned” and warned Israel that passage of the law could have uncertain consequences for US law and policy.

“Unrwa plays a critical and important role in delivering humanitarian assistance to civilians who need it in the Gaza Strip,” Miller said. “There is no one who can replace them right now, in the midst of a crisis.”

Unrwa chief Philippe Lazzarini criticized the decision and wrote on X shortly after the vote that the law “sets a dangerous precedent.”

“This is the latest attempt in an ongoing campaign to discredit UNRWA and delegitimize its role in providing aid and human development services to Palestinian refugees,” he wrote.

UNRVA has long had an uneasy relationship with Israel, which over the years has periodically accused Gaza-based militants of using UNRVA facilities to launch missiles at Israel or host parts of Hamas’ tunnel network, or has claimed that some Hamas members were in the employ of UNRVA.

Tensions came to a head in January. The US and several other countries decided to suspend funding for the agency after it fired several employees whom Israel accused of participating in Hamas-led attacks on October 7 last year. Many of these countries have since restored funding. Israeli authorities said the attacks killed 1,200 people and sent about 250 back to Gaza as hostages.

In response to these attacks, Israel declared war on Hamas. According to local health authorities, the fighting has killed more than 43,000 Palestinians, including no distinction between civilians and combatants.

At least 220 Unrwa employees were killed during the conflict. Israel said a small number of Unrwa employees killed were militants. They include the man who Israel says kidnapped Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Paulin and several others on October 7.