Israel's ban on the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), if implemented, would severely hamper aid operations in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, experts have warned.
The Israeli parliament approved legislation on October 28 that bans UNRWA from operating in Israel. The new law could effectively end the agency's operations in the occupied West Bank and Gaza because Israel controls access to both territories.
Experts say Israel's ban would have dire ramifications for the more than 2 million Palestinians in Gaza who rely heavily on humanitarian assistance and services from UNRWA, the largest aid provider in the territory.
"It's a major blow to any humanitarian efforts trying to save lives in the Gaza Strip," said Anders Fange, a Swedish aid worker who oversaw UNRWA's operations in the West Bank from 2003 to 2007. "No other agency or institution can replace UNRWA."
Israel's devastating yearlong war in Gaza has killed tens of thousands of civilians, Palestinian officials say, and destroyed most of the infrastructure in the enclave. Many people lack shelter, food, and medical care.
Palestinians protest outside UNRWA's Gaza headquarters. (file photo)
Israel has accused UNRWA of colluding with Hamas, the U.S.- and EU-designated Palestinian terrorist group that carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel in October 2023. The attack triggered Israel's invasion of Gaza.
But experts say Israel's move is political and aimed at stripping Palestinians in the Middle East of their refugee status.
'Life Even More Impossible'
Established in 1949, UNRWA is one of the UN's largest operations, with over 30,000 workers. The agency serves around 6 million Palestinians living in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon.
Since Israel invaded Gaza in October 2023, UNRWA has distributed food and provided medical assistance to many of the territory's residents. Hundreds of its schools have been converted into shelters for Palestinians displaced by the war.
Fange said that the "purpose of the Israeli ban on UNRWA now is to make life even more impossible for the Palestinians in Gaza."
Israel has faced international condemnation for targeting hospitals and schools, many of them run by UNRWA, and for killing hundreds of aid workers.
Israel has opposed UNRWA for years. But its opposition to the agency has escalated since Hamas's October 7 attack that killed around 1,200 Israelis.
Since then, Israel has claimed that hundreds of UNRWA staff were members of "terrorist organizations." Some 16 donor countries temporarily suspended funding for the agency.
In August, UNRWA fired nine staff members because of their possible involvement in the Hamas attack.
Khaled Elgindy, director of Palestine and Palestinian-Israeli Affairs at the Middle East Institute think tank in Washington, said UNRWA had been desperate to show that it is "cooperative" and "fairly transparent."
People walk past debris at a UN-run school after Israeli bombardment in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip in July. (file photo)
Elgindy said Israel's ban on UNRWA, if implemented, would be "beyond catastrophic" for people in Gaza.
He said the real reason Israel was targeting UNRWA is because the agency is a symbol of Palestinian refugeehood -- something "many Israelis consider to be an existential threat."
Under international law, Palestinian refugees and their descendants have the right to return to their homes in modern-day Israel. But Israel has refused to allow their return. Israel has said Palestinian refugees should be absorbed by their host countries, and claim that UNRWA's services keep Palestinians' hopes of returning to their homes alive.
"Why does Israel want to destroy an institution that is providing lifesaving services and for which there is no alternative in Gaza?" Elgindy asked. "The answer has to do with the extremist nature of this Israeli government."
Many foreign governments and rights organizations have condemned Israel's move to ban UNRWA.
Norway has asked the UN General Assembly to request a ruling from the International Court of Justice on whether Israel has violated international law by preventing the UN from delivering humanitarian aid to Palestinians.