UNRWA chief says Israel’s ban will be disastrous

The head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has warned that an impending Israeli ban on the organization would severely hamper humanitarian work in the Gaza Strip and undermine the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini told the UN Security Council on Tuesday that the ban, set to take effect on Thursday, would "aggravate instability and deepen despair in the occupied Palestinian territory at a critical time."

Lazzarini pointed out that this move would also undermine recovery and reconstruction efforts in the war-torn enclave, erode trust in the international community, and jeopardize prospects for peace and security. The United States, a major ally of Israel, has supported Israel's "sovereign decision" to close UNRWA and sever all ties with it.

US envoy to the Security Council, Dorothy Shea, stated that while the agency provides aid to millions, it was "exaggerating" the potential impact of the Israeli ban. However, experts and UN officials have indicated that the ban could have catastrophic consequences. UNRWA operates the largest aid network in the Gaza Strip, the occupied West Bank, and East Jerusalem, as well as among Palestinian refugees throughout the Middle East. It also works with other agencies and manages school-turned-shelters in Gaza, which have been targeted by Israeli forces on multiple occasions.

Israel stated at the meeting that it would sever all ties with UNRWA within 48 hours, prohibiting Israeli officials from dealing with the agency and demanding the closure of the organization's offices in Israeli-controlled areas. Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon told the Security Council that “UNRWA must cease its operations and vacate all of its premises operating in Jerusalem, including properties located in Ma'alot Dafna and Kafr Aqab.” He further added that “Israel will terminate all cooperation, communication, and connections with UNRWA or anyone acting on its behalf.”

The agency has played a vital role in delivering aid to Gaza during the Israeli war and since the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement came into effect earlier this month. Lazzarini told the Security Council that “Since October 2023, we provided two-thirds of the food assistance, shelter for over one million displaced people and vaccinated 250,000 children against polio.” He also added that “Since the start of the ceasefire, UNRWA has delivered 60% of the food entering Gaza, benefiting over 500,000 people. We conduct about 17,000 medical consultations daily.”

Under the ceasefire agreement, Israel has also opened some military checkpoints in the besieged territory, allowing thousands of displaced Palestinians in southern Gaza to return to their homes in northern Gaza. Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from the Salah al-Din road, the main highway connecting southern and northern Gaza, said the journey is exhausting for those who are returning home. “People who are returning [to the north] to assess the damage to their homes are telling us that all they are finding is destruction and remnants of their past lives,” he said. “They are rebuilding what they lost from scratch. Many of them are setting up makeshift shelters near the rubble of their destroyed homes.”

According to the Palestinian health authorities, the Israeli war on Gaza has killed more than 47,000 people and injured more than 111,000 since October 2023.