The Israeli government officially notified the United Nations it was severing ties with UNRWA, Israel’s foreign ministry said on Monday.
Israel has long opposed the presence of UNRWA and maintains that the agency perpetuates refugee status among Palestinians and promotes anti-Israel sentiment.
Its discontent mounted after the October 7 attacks, in which Israeli officials accused Hamas of infiltrating UNRWA’s operations in Gaza and levelled allegations that some employees were involved in the attack.
Danny Danon, the ambassador of Israel to the UN, has said in a statement that even though Israel presented overwhelming evidence-“we submitted to the UN highlighting how Hamas infiltrated UNRWA, the UN did nothing to address this reality”.
This recent ban has created apprehension amongst chiefs and Western allies, who have expressed fear that if UNRWA’s operations were not allowed, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza might increase.
While Israeli law does not ban UNRWA’s activities from continuing in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, still under occupation, it is most likely to make any operation of this agency very difficult.
