Israel passed a law on Monday banning UNRWA from operating in the country, legislation that could impact the UN Palestinian refugee agency’s work in war-torn Gaza.

The lawmakers who drafted the law cited the alleged involvement of some UNRWA staffers in the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, and that some UNRWA staffers were members of Hamas and other armed groups.

The legislation has alarmed the United Nations and some of Israel’s Western allies, who fear it would further worsen the already-dire humanitarian situation in Gaza after over a year of war. The ban does not refer to operations in the Palestinian territories or elsewhere.

UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, employs tens of thousands of workers and provides education, health and aid to millions of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.

WATCH | Lack of food and other aid catastrophic for northern Gaza’s children, UN says:  

Lack of food and other aid catastrophic for children in northern Gaza, UN warns

UNRWA, the UN Palestinian relief agency that provides health, education and social services in Gaza, said Israeli authorities were preventing humanitarian missions from reaching parts of northern Gaza, including the Jabalia refugee camp. Critical supplies, including medicine and food, were not reaching those in need, and the situation was especially catastrophic for children, according to Alexandra Saieh, head of humanitarian policy and advocacy at Save the Children.

It has long had tense relations with Israel, but ties have deteriorated sharply since the start of the war in Gaza. Israel has called repeatedly for UNRWA to be disbanded, and its responsibilities transferred to other UN agencies.

The UN said in August that nine UNRWA staff may have been involved in the Oct. 7 assault and had been fired. A Hamas commander in Lebanon — killed last month in an Israeli strike — was found to have had an UNRWA job. Another commander killed in Gaza last week doubled as an aid worker.

“If the United Nations is not willing to clean this organization from terrorism, from Hamas activists, then we have to take measures to make sure that they cannot harm our people ever again,” said Israeli lawmaker Sharren Haskel.

“The international community could have taken responsibility and made sure that they used the proper organizations to facilitate humanitarian aid, like the World Food Organization, like UNICEF, and many others who work all around the world.”

UNRWA chief says ban violates Israel’s international obligations

UNRWA’s chief Philippe Lazzarini said on Monday in a post on social media platform X that the Israel-wide ban sets a dangerous precedent, opposing the UN Charter and violating Israel’s obligations under international law.

“These bills will only deepen the suffering of Palestinians, especially in Gaza where people have been going through more than a year of sheer hell,” he wrote. Lazzarini said the move will deprive more than 650,000 children from education and put “an entire generation” of children at risk.

“These bills increase the suffering of the Palestinians [and] are nothing less than collective punishment,” he wrote. 

An UNRWA spokesperson said prior to the vote that the proposed law would be a “disaster” and would have a serious impact on the humanitarian operation in Gaza and in the occupied West Bank.

Juliette Touma, the main spokesperson for the organization, said previous attempts to replace UNRWA have failed miserably. 

“It’s outrageous that a member state of the United Nations is working to dismantle a UN agency which also happens to be the largest responder in the humanitarian operation in Gaza,” Touma said.

The law would likely directly impact UNRWA institutions in East Jerusalem, which Israel annexed in a move not recognized abroad.

Boaz Bismuth, another of the law’s authors, said UNRWA’s work there has been counterproductive for years.

“If you really want stability, if you really want security, if you want real peace in the Middle East, organizations like UNRWA won’t bring you there,” said Bismuth. Israel has faced heavy international pressure to do more to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and to get more aid to people displaced by Israel’s campaign.

Before the legislation was passed, foreign ministers from France, Germany, Britain, Japan, South Korea, Canada and Australia issued a statement expressing “grave concern.”

“It is crucial that UNRWA and other UN organizations and agencies be fully able to deliver humanitarian aid and their assistance to those who need it most, fulfilling their mandates effectively,” the statement said.