UN agency for Palestinians plans to halt its activities in Gaza and the West Bank

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) plans to halt its activities in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, reported The New York Times, which cited two U.N. officials.

This comes some two months after Israel passed a law to ban UNRWA operations in its territory. The legislation will take effect in the coming days.

Israel's decision was related to allegations against the U.N. agency that many of its employees were part of terrorist organizations, such as Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and some of them even participated in the Oct. 7 massacre.

In fact, an investigation by the agency revealed that nine of its employees had participated in the brutal attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

Likewise, UNRWA has been accused of indoctrinating antisemitic hatred and inciting the murder of Jews in the schools it administers in Gaza and the West Bank.

The law passed in Israel would create a significant constraint on UNRWA's continued activities in Gaza and the West Bank, as the agency needs to coordinate with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

'The world is beginning to understand that UNRWA is an arm of Hamas and not an aid organization'

Israeli parliamentarian Dan Illouz, one of the promoters of the legislation to ban the UN agency's activities in the Jewish state, said, "We did it! The historic law I pushed for to disconnect UNRWA from Israel is proving its effectiveness. The world is beginning to understand that UNRWA is an arm of Hamas and not an aid organization. Its employees participated in the October 7 massacre, its facilities hid weapons and it educated generations of terrorists. Now, with its collapse, we are striking at the heart of the terror mechanism," Israeli newspaper Ynet indicated.

Illouz, who belongs to Likud, the party of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, added: "Israel has taken the first step, now the world must complete it. UNRWA must not only be downsized, it must disappear. This is a huge achievement for Israel's security and the fight against terrorism!"

Speaking to The New York Times, Jamie McGoldrick, who oversaw U.N. aid operations in Gaza and the West Bank until April 2024, argued that the suspension of operations will have a huge "impact on an already catastrophic situation."