UNRWA faces an uncertain future in Gaza as a new Israeli law threatens to end its operations, risking a humanitarian catastrophe.
UNRWA Director of Communications Juliette Touma has vowed not to shut down operations on January 31 when a new Israeli law banning the agency takes effect, the American news website Axios reported on Wednesday.
“We plan to stay in Gaza and work as long as we can until we can’t. It will be a disaster if the bill is implemented,” Touma reportedly said. “Who is going to do the work?”
Scoop: State Department officials told the Trump administration transition team there could be a humanitarian "catastrophe" in Gaza when a new Israeli law barring contact with the UN refugee agency for Palestinians takes effect at the end of the month. https://t.co/dnzndWcZwl
— Axios (@axios) January 8, 2025
This comes as State Department officials warned the Trump administration transition team that “there could be a humanitarian ‘catastrophe’ in Gaza” once the law is implemented, the report added, citing three US officials. They say there is “no serious backup plan for providing humanitarian supplies and services to Palestinians.”
Last October, Israeli lawmakers voted 92-10 in favor of a law barring UNRWA from conducting “any activity” inside Israeli territory, and 87-9 in favor of another bill that restricts the agency’s activities in the Gaza Strip and occupied West Bank.
No Alternative Plans
Axios reported that according to US officials, “neither Israel nor the UN has made any serious plans for what happens next.” US and Israeli officials, the report added, said that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has refused over the past two months “to engage in a discussion with Israel about alternative UN agencies that could take on some of UNRWA’s roles.”
A senior Israeli official told Axios that his government has not made any decision on alternative plans in Gaza when the time comes.
In December, Guterres wrote in a letter to members of the UN General Assembly that “There is currently no realistic alternative to UNRWA which could adequately provide the services and assistance required.”
‘Disastrous Impact’
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement on Wednesday that “If implemented, the decision will have a disastrous impact on the people we support.”
“This includes the delivery of humanitarian aid to people in Gaza and basic services in the occupied West Bank, including education for 50,000 children who go to UNRWA schools,” he stressed.
#Gaza #Westbank pic.twitter.com/D7f6dC9uG1
— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) January 8, 2025
Lazzarini emphasized that other UN Agencies ‘have acknowledged that they cannot fill the void and directly provide education and healthcare.”
He said the “fate and future” of over 650,000 children in Gaza, who are out of school for a second year in a row, “hangs in the balance.”
“In the absence of UNRWA or functioning Palestinian institutions, the State of Israel – as an occupying power – would have to provide assistance and services to the population across the occupied Palestinian territory, including in Gaza,” Lazzarini stated.
Ongoing Genocide
The ongoing Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip, which began on October 7, 2023, has led to a humanitarian crisis of unprecedented scale. As the death toll among besieged and starved Palestinian civilians continues to rise daily, Israel is currently facing charges of genocide against Palestinians before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
"UNRWA teams are committed to stay and deliver across the Gaza Strip and in the occupied West Bank," @JulietteTouma confirms to @trtworld.
If implemented, the Israeli Parliament’s bills could drastically hinder the agency's ability to provide humanitarian assistance after… pic.twitter.com/puVDuyQ6Q6
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) January 7, 2025
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, at least 45,854 Palestinians have been killed, and 109,139 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7, 2023. The toll is expected to rise further, with at least 11,000 people still unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes across Gaza.
The war, which Palestinians call “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood,” began after a military operation carried out by Hamas on Israeli territory. Israel reports that 1,139 of its soldiers and civilians were killed during the initial attack on October 7. However, Israeli media have raised concerns that a significant number of Israeli casualties were caused by ‘friendly fire’ during the assault.
Humanitarian Disaster
Human rights organizations, both Palestinian and international, have reported that the overwhelming majority of the casualties in Gaza are women and children. The ongoing violence has also exacerbated an acute famine, with thousands of children among the dead, highlighting the severity of the humanitarian disaster.
Due to the growing famine in Gaza, most Palestinians could only get food from charity kitchens, having to line up long hours everyday for little portions of food. pic.twitter.com/7JT5cCWrYw
— PALESTINE ONLINE 🇵🇸 (@OnlinePalEng) January 8, 2025
The war has displaced nearly two million people from their homes across Gaza, with the majority of the displaced forced into the already overcrowded southern region of the Strip. The population in Gaza remains trapped in the ongoing conflict, with little access to basic necessities such as food, water, and medical care.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
Be the first to comment