The Israeli government has ordered the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to cease its operations in the country, effective today, Jan. 30, 2025. This decision follows years of mounting accusations against the agency, including claims of involvement with the terrorist group Hamas.
The move marks the culmination of a long-standing effort by Israel to distance itself from the organization, which it accuses of undermining its national security.
The Israeli legislation, passed in October 2024, explicitly bans UNRWA from operating within Israel’s sovereign territory. The law also prohibits any communication or collaboration between Israeli officials and UNRWA representatives. Under the new rules, all UNRWA facilities in Jerusalem, including those in Maalot Dafna and Kafr Aqab, must be evacuated. The legislation also addresses accusations that UNRWA has allowed Hamas to infiltrate its ranks.
ISRAEL TELLS UN IT’S SHUTTING DOWN ALL UNRWA OPERATIONS IN JERUSALEM: ‘ACUTE SECURITY RISKS’
Israeli U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon defended the decision at the U.N. on Tuesday, stating, “It is intolerable for any sovereign state to facilitate the operations of an agency that threatens its national security.”
Danon said that the move was not politically motivated but was instead driven by years of alleged failures by UNRWA, including claims of complicity in terrorism. “This decision reflects the reality that UNRWA has miserably failed in its mandate, and it has failed the people who were supposed to benefit from its services,” Danon asserted.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini has vehemently opposed Israel’s actions, calling the ban “disastrous.”
Addressing the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday, Lazzarini claimed that the full implementation of the Israeli legislation would cripple humanitarian efforts in Gaza and the West Bank. “Since October 2023, we have delivered two-thirds of all food assistance, provided shelter to over a million displaced persons, and vaccinated a quarter of a million children against polio,” Lazzarini said. “We conduct around 17,000 medical consultations every day.”
“Nine days ago, the long-awaited ceasefire in Gaza began,” Lazzarini continued. “We are heartened by the return of Israeli hostages and imprisoned Palestinians to their families. We are encouraged by marked improvements in the flow of humanitarian aid and operating conditions. We hope that the ceasefire will hold and that the tremendous suffering in Gaza will subside. UNRWA is the largest UN presence in Gaza, with 13,000 personnel and 300 premises. The relentless assault on UNRWA is harming the lives and future of Palestinians,” Lazzarini warned.
ISRAELI PARLIAMENT BANS UNRWA OVER TERRORISM TIES, FACES INTERNATIONAL BACKLASH
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on Wednesday, “Humanitarian aid doesn’t equal UNRWA, and UNRWA doesn’t equal humanitarian aid. UNRWA equals an organization infested with Hamas terror activity. This is why, beginning today, Israel will have no contact with UNRWA. Israel remains committed to facilitating humanitarian aid to Gaza in accordance with international law and the framework for the hostage release. In fact, Israel is facilitating the entry of even more humanitarian aid trucks into Gaza than agreed in the hostage release framework. There are multiple alternative organizations to UNRWA—including U.N. agencies, international NGOs, and foreign countries—that are already operating to facilitate humanitarian aid in Gaza, and their role will only increase.”
Israeli Member of Parliament Yulia Malinovsky, one of the authors of the legislation, expressed her support for the decision.
“I watched the hypocrisy of many countries in the U.N. Security Council this week. Their representatives spoke about how UNRWA is an indispensable part of Gaza’s reconstruction and how it cannot operate without it. Well, no, UNRWA only brings suffering to the people of Gaza, and just like Hamas, it has brought destruction to Gaza,” she told Fox News Digital.
“This organization is a terrorist organization that has killed, raped, and kidnapped innocent civilians,” she said, referring to accusations that UNRWA employees participated in the Oct. 7 massacre, and held hostages in their homes.
The move follows the Trump administration’s decision to look into halting some foreign aid to various groups. Congress paused funding to UNRWA last year following allegations that UNRWA employees were involved in the Oct 7. massacre.
The U.N. and international community now face the challenge of filling the void left by the agency’s departure, while Israel has made it clear that it will not back down in its fight against what it perceives as terrorism masquerading as aid but made clear it would be willing to work with other U.N. agencies.
Danon reiterated on Tuesday that, “Israel remains committed to its obligations under international law and we reaffirm our readiness to cooperate with other U.N. agencies that are not tainted by terror.”
Malinovsky, stated that international pressure to reverse Israel’s decision was unnecessary. “We are an independent and sovereign state, and we will not compromise on our national defense and interests. Today, UNRWA will end its operations in Israel, and all direct or indirect contact with it will cease.”
