In a controversial move that has sparked international outcry, the Israeli parliament has voted to ban the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) from operating on its soil, jeopardizing vital aid services for millions of Palestinians. The legislation, which also designates UNRWA as a terrorist organization, effectively severs all cooperation between the UN agency and Israel, raising fears of an imminent humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.
Gaza on the Brink
According to UN officials, humanitarian efforts for the 2.3 million residents of Gaza are “completely dependent” on UNRWA’s staff, facilities, and logistical capabilities. With the new laws set to come into effect in just 90 days, concerns are mounting over the fate of hundreds of thousands who rely on the agency for basic necessities.
“There is no alternative to UNRWA,” warned Dr. Maya Rosenfeld, a sociologist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. “It is too big to fail.” She emphasized that while emergency providers may be able to step in temporarily, they cannot replicate the scope and scale of UNRWA’s long-term services.
Education and Healthcare at Risk
The ban threatens to shutter 96 UNRWA schools serving 45,000 students in the West Bank, along with 43 health centers and vital food distribution services. In Gaza, where the agency operated 278 schools for 290,000 students and ran 22 medical centers before the war, the impact could be even more devastating.
“Hundreds of thousands of people will slip from acute food insecurity into mass starvation,” warned Chris Gunness, former UNRWA spokesperson. “The 300,000 children UNRWA educates in Gaza – already deep in trauma after the most brutal civilian bombardment since World War II – will become a lost generation.”
Tensions Boil Over
The anti-UNRWA legislation marks a new low in Israel’s fraught relationship with the UN, which it has long accused of bias. Friction reached a breaking point after Israel alleged that UNRWA employees were involved in a Hamas attack last October, a claim the agency denies.
While Israel has vowed to work with international partners to “facilitate humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza,” it has yet to propose a viable alternative to UNRWA’s extensive aid network. Western allies who support the agency’s work are reportedly pressuring Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to veto the ban.
A Powder Keg Ready to Explode
As tensions simmer and living conditions deteriorate, experts fear the UNRWA ban could ignite further unrest in the occupied territories. “This is not just about UNRWA,” said Samer al-Qam, a resident of Shuafat refugee camp in Jerusalem. “I think it’s about getting rid of Palestinians completely.”
With the clock ticking down to the 90-day deadline, the international community is watching anxiously to see if Netanyahu will heed calls for restraint and avert what many believe could be a humanitarian disaster of unprecedented proportions. For the millions of Palestinians who depend on UNRWA for their survival, the stakes could not be higher.
