Above photo: AFP via Getty Images.
As Israeli Law Takes Effect.
The UN agency has been the target of an Israeli smear campaign, which has included coercing confessions of UNRWA employees into admitting ties with Hamas.
UN officials who spoke with the New York Times (NYT) say that the leading agency providing humanitarian aid for Palestinians is “preparing” to end its operations in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
“It would be a massive impact on an already catastrophic situation. If that is what the Israeli intention is – to remove any ability for us to save lives – you have to question what is the thinking and what is the end goal?” UN resident and humanitarian coordinator Jamie McGoldrick told the NYT on 2 January.
UNRWA is a critical provider of staple necessities and essential services, relied on by thousands of Palestinians for their livelihood and basic needs. Since the start of the Israeli genocide in Gaza, UNRWA has been at the forefront of delivering aid to the displaced Palestinians, providing food, water, and medicine, as well as overseeing aid deliveries and running shelters.
UNRWA has provided fuel to the remaining hospitals and has been working to clear the accumulated waste, which is critical amidst the recent outbreak of diseases such as cholera.
“The world has abandoned us. We have nothing but the aid we get from UNRWA to survive,” Sami Abu Darweesh told the NYT.
Accusations against UNRWA by Israel have claimed that employees of the organization took part in Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on 7 October. A UN probe found nine employees actively participated in the Hamas-led operation and were subsequently fired. The remaining accusations against UNRWA have been rejected and condemned by the UN.
UNRWA spokeswoman Juliette Touma previously revealed that “Some of our staff have conveyed to UNRWA teams that they were forced to make confessions under torture and ill-treatment.”
In October 2024, the Knesset passed two bills banning UNRWA in Israel, which will take effect in January. While Israel has not directly addressed whether the bill includes UNRWA operations in Gaza and the West Bank, the law would force the UN to shut down its operations in both regions.
Under the bill, Israeli officials are banned from interacting with UNRWA, and as the delivery of aid requires coordination with the Israeli army, operations would be impossible to continue.
Israel’s ban of Al Jazeera in Israel and its recent closure in the West Bank is also a consequence of what Israel calls involvement in 7 October. While the genocide in Gaza continues, raids by the Israeli army are increasingly frequent, with the latest on 2 January.
Palestinians have relied on international humanitarian organizations and non-governmental groups for decades. UNRWA supports Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. It performs various functions, including schools, hospitals and clinics, garbage collections, food banks, and job-training centers.
Before October 2023, no other humanitarian organization offered Palestinians the same level of assistance. The closing down of UNRWA operations in Gaza would shut off Palestinians from an irreplaceable, critical lifeline.