Israel’s impending ban on the U.N. agency critical for supporting Palestinians “will undermine” the cease-fire deal in the Gaza Strip, the head of the agency warned on Tuesday.
“UNRWA is the largest U.N. presence in Gaza, with 13,000 personnel and 300 premises. The agency is critical for supporting a shattered population and the cease-fire,” Philippe Lazzarini, head of U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said during a Security Council session on Palestine.
Noting that ending UNRWA’s aid operations across the occupied Palestinian territories would put the fate “of millions at stake,” Lazzarini warned that it would also risk “the cease-fire and the prospects for a political solution that brings lasting peace and security.”
“Curtailing our operations now – outside a political process, and when trust in the international community is so low – will undermine the cease-fire,” he said, and emphasized that “it will sabotage Gaza’s recovery and political transition.”
Lazzarini described full implementation of a UNRWA ban as “disastrous” for Gaza, and warned that “it will degrade the capacity of the United Nations, just when humanitarian assistance must be scaled up significantly.”
“This will only worsen the already catastrophic living conditions of millions of Palestinians,” he added.
Lazzarini also dismissed Israel’s claims of transferring UNRWA’s services to other entities, and described the aid agency’s mandate as “unique.”
Stressing that the current aid delivery to Gaza is being done by UNRWA, he said: “Palestinians know and trust UNRWA.”
The Israeli legislation to ban the agency “makes a mockery of international law and imposes massive constraints on UNRWA’s operation. We are determined, however, to stay and deliver until it is no longer possible to do so,” he affirmed.
Israel moved to bar the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees from working on Israeli territory after alleging that some of its employees were involved in the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023. It insists that other organizations can pick up the slack to provide essential services, aid and reconstruction – something the U.N. disputes.
The ban, which is set to take effect on Jan. 30, also prohibits Israeli officials from cooperating with the organization.
Israel, meanwhile said on Tuesday it would proceed on with the decision and cease all contact with UNRWA and any other body acting on its behalf, within next 48 hours.
“Israel will terminate all collaboration, communication and contact with UNRWA or anyone acting on its behalf,” Israel’s envoy to U.N., Danny Danon, said.
“The legislation forbids UNRWA from operating within the sovereign territory of the State of Israel, and forbids any contact between Israeli officials and UNWRA,” said Danon.
U.S. support
United States threw its weight behind the move of its closest Middle East ally, accusing Lazzarini of overstating the impact of the decision.
“The United States supports the implementation of this decision,” said Dorothy Shea, a United States representative to the U.N.
Norwegian Refugee Council’s Secretary-General Jan Egeland, on the other hand warned that “rubble removal in northern Gaza could take as long as 21 years” and cost “at least $1.2 billion for two decades.”
“For two decades, children will have nowhere to play due to the rubble and the debris and the countless unexploded bombs,” he said.
Israel’s attacks on Gaza have killed at least 47,317 people since October 2023, the majority civilians, according to figures from health ministry in besieged enclave.
A cease-fire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas is now in place, intended to bring an end to the more than 15 months of war.
Months of relentless offensive by Israel created a deep humanitarian crisis, destroying hospitals and sparking outbreaks of infectious diseases while hundreds of thousands of Gazans faced starvation conditions and have depended on food aid.
Saying that humanitarians on the ground are increasing their aid assistance for those severely affected by Israel’s relentless bombing, Egeland noted the needs as full and unrestricted access, security and protection, coordination and oversight, as well as financial and operational support.
“Given the fragile nature of the Gaza cease-fire and the potential for more violence in the West Bank, the Security Council, in accordance with your mandate, should put all of your energies into achieving a peaceful resolution to the question of Palestine, in line with international law, the U.N. General Assembly,” he said.
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