UNITED NATIONS, Oct 31 (IPS) – On Oct 28, Israel’s parliament voted to ban the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) from operating in Israel. The Knesset, Israel’s lower house of parliament, passed two bills: one banning all UNRWA efforts and another banning interaction between Israeli authorities and UNRWA staff. The implications of this amendment are expected to further worsen the situation for millions of Palestinians already facing a severe humanitarian crisis.
This comes after nearly 80 years of work by UNRWA to provide vital humanitarian assistance to refugees in Palestine. Without UNRWA action in Palestine, humanitarian access in the country is expected to be further restricted, leaving millions to fend for themselves amid ongoing hostilities and the upcoming harsh winter. UNRWA has been actively supporting the Palestinian people since 1948, distributing essential resources including food, water and shelter, and providing vital public services such as health and education.
UNRWA and the United Nations (UN) responded to the bill and condemned Israel’s actions towards the Palestinian people. “Enforcement of the law could have devastating consequences for Palestinian refugees in the occupied Palestinian territories and this is unacceptable,” said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
UNRWA Secretary-General Philippe Lazzarini issued the following statement to X (formerly Twitter): “This bill will only deepen the suffering of Palestinians, especially in the Gaza Strip, where people have endured extreme hell for more than a year. It will deprive more than 650,000 girls and boys of access to education and put an entire generation of children at risk. “This missing bill is aggravating the suffering of the Palestinian people and is nothing more than collective punishment.”
Israeli authorities have doubled down on their stance on the bill, accusing UNRWA of promoting terrorism and anti-Semitism. Knesset member Yulia Malinowski told reporters that UNRWA was not entitled to legal immunity from Israeli reprisals and that aid workers should no longer receive “five-star treatment” in Israel. Malinovsky also claimed that UNRWA colluded with Hamas.
“UNRWA has decided to make itself an inseparable component of the Hamas mechanism. It is time to separate ourselves from it completely,” said Benny Gantz, a former Israeli war cabinet member.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin issued a joint statement to Israeli authorities saying the newly passed legislation would “destroy the humanitarian response in Gaza at this critical moment and deny essential education and social services to tens of thousands of people.” He warned. Palestinians in the West Bank and Jerusalem.”
This is of particular concern to humanitarian organizations because almost the entire population of Gaza relies on aid for survival. Humanitarian assistance is more important than ever as Gaza faces the risk of a polio outbreak, destruction of critical infrastructure, and dwindling resources.
“Israel has bombed, killed, maimed and starved the Palestinians, and now it is cutting off the Palestinians’ biggest aid line. Israel is systematically dismantling the Gaza Strip, an autonomous and livable land for the Palestinians. Ban UNRWA. It is a reprehensible crime today, says Sally Abi Khalil, Oxfam Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa.
UNRWA and its partners, including the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), began the second round of polio vaccinations in Gaza on 14 October. Although initially successful, ongoing bombings halted the campaign in northern Gaza, home to an estimated 120,000 unvaccinated children. The deadline to give these children their critical second dose is mid-November, after which their chances of being fully immunized are greatly reduced.
“This is a risk not only for the 120,000 children left in northern Gaza, children under the age of 10, but also for children in the wider region. That is why we are so worried and pressing for this second round to happen by early November. It is possible,” says Rosalia Bollen, UNICEF communications specialist in Gaza.
Bollen described Gaza’s children as a “lost generation,” adding that the polio outbreak, ongoing hostilities and lack of humanitarian aid have taken a serious toll on children’s education. UNRWA provides a range of social services in Palestine, including in more than 183 schools in Gaza. These schools are set to close due to two newly passed bills.
While the bill was being passed in the Knesset, Israel continued its air operations in Gaza. On the morning of October 29, Israel launched another airstrike on a refugee shelter in Beit Lahiya, killing at least 109 civilians and leveling a five-story residential building. Gaza’s health ministry reported that a series of bombings in populated areas of northern Gaza killed more than 800 people during a three-week aerial campaign.
“The bombardment of northern Gaza is non-stop. Bombs continue to fall, Israeli forces are separating families and detaining many people, and people who are fleeing are said to have been shot. The Israeli government’s policy in northern Gaza is The practice risks emptying the Gaza Strip, and we face a situation that could amount to atrocity crimes, including potentially escalating into crimes against humanity,” said UN Human Rights Secretary-General Volker Türk. said.
Additionally, heavy bombing has disrupted humanitarian aid, essentially cutting off the flow of supplies to millions of Palestinians. Resources are almost completely depleted, and humanitarian groups fear famine is approaching in Gaza. “Gaza’s food system has been largely disrupted by the destruction of factories, agricultural land and shops. Most commercial channels are no longer functional, leaving markets virtually empty,” the World Food Program (WFP) said in a statement.
In early October this year, a report from the Integrated Food Security Category (IPC) warned that around 96% of Gaza would face severe food insecurity and that nearly half a million people would face “catastrophic levels” of hunger. Famine was described as imminent.
Without UNRWA’s actions in the occupied Palestinian territories, the situation is expected to worsen significantly as the harsh winter approaches. “Hundreds of thousands of families in Gaza who have been forced to flee time and time again are living in inadequate tents and temporary shelters. Come winter, these shelters will not keep them safe from strong winds, heavy rain and cold temperatures,” he said. Alison Ely, Gaza Shelter Cluster Coordinator.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Secretary General Stephane Dujarric confirmed that the United Nations would continue to do everything it can to help the Palestinian people. Dujarric also pointed out that with UNRWA withdrawing from Palestine, Israel has an obligation to meet the needs of millions of people living within its sovereignty. “Israel will have to fill the void and meet those needs or violate international law,” Dujarric explained.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement expressing Israel’s commitment to providing humanitarian assistance to affected communities in the Gaza Strip. “Before and for 90 days after this law takes effect, we stand ready to work with our international partners to ensure that Israel continues to facilitate humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza,” Netanyahu said. .
Humanitarian groups and U.S. officials have expressed concern that Israel will not be able to effectively carry out the mission undertaken by UNRWA. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said: “There is no one (UNRWA) who can replace them in this crisis.”
Guterres echoed these sentiments in a post shared on X. “There is no alternative to UNRWA.”
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