Israel approves two bills that could halt UNRWA's aid delivery to Gaza. What does that mean?
Israel's parliament has passed bills banning the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees from operating in Israel and the Palestinian territories
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Israel's parliament has passed two laws that could prevent the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, a main provider of aid to Gaza, from being able to continue its work.
The laws ban the agency, UNRWA, from operating and cut all ties between the agency and the Israeli government. It's the culmination of a long-running campaign against the agency, which Israel contends has been infiltrated by Hamas. But supporters say Israel's real aim is to sideline the issue of Palestinian refugees.
The agency is the major distributor of aid in Gaza and provides education, health and other basic services to millions of Palestinian refugees across the region, including in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
The head of the agency, Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini, called the move “unprecedented” on X following the vote and said the bills “will only deepen the suffering Palestinians, especially in Gaza where people have been going through more than a year of sheer hell.”
