Israel bans UN's Palestinian aid agency amid Gaza war, truce talks continue

Israel’s parliament has passed a law to ban the UN relief agency UNRWA from operating inside the country, alarming some of Israel’s allies who fear it will worsen the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Israeli officials cited the involvement of a handful of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees’ thousands of staffers in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel and a few staffers’ membership in Hamas and other armed groups. “UNRWA workers involved in terrorist activities against Israel must be held accountable,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

The head of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, said the vote opposes the U.N. charter and violates international law. “This is the latest in the ongoing campaign to discredit UNRWA and delegitimize its role towards providing human-development assistance and services to #Palestine Refugees,” he wrote on social media platform X.