The United States is "deeply troubled" by legislation approved by the Israeli parliament that bans UNRWA, the main United Nations agency bringing assistance to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and elsewhere in the Middle East, including Israel.
Responding to the move outlawing UNRWA from carrying out any activities in Israel and prohibiting any contact between Israeli authorities and the UN aid group, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Washington has made clear its concerns and opposition to the legislation.
"We are deeply troubled by this legislation. It could shutter UNRWA operations in the West Bank, in Gaza, in East Jerusalem," he told a briefing late on October 29.
"It poses risks for millions of Palestinians who rely on UNRWA for essential services, including health care and primary and secondary education," Miller added, noting UNRWA's "critical role in providing services to Palestinians."
The laws were approved by the Knesset, Israel's parliament, on October 28, and take effect in 90 days.
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have been hard hit by the outbreak of war between Israel and Iran-backed Hamas, which has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.
The war was triggered when Hamas fighters crossed into Israel on October 7, 2023, and killed some 1,200 people. They also took around 251 hostages back to the Gaza Strip.
Israeli retaliation has devastated Gaza and killed more than 40,000 people, according to Hamas-led Palestinian authorities. UNRWA has warned several times that Gaza is on the brink of a humanitarian crisis because of the conflict.
Israeli lawmakers approved the laws banning UNRWA, saying the agency has been infiltrated by Hamas and that some UNRWA employees were involved in the October 7 attacks.
The UN said in August that nine staff working for UNRWA were being fired because they may have been involved in the October 7 attacks against Israel.
The laws are likely to make relief work by UNRWA virtually impossible in the Gaza Strip and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.