The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has clapped back at Israel’s new ban on its operations, vowing to keep delivering life-saving aid to Palestinian refugees – even as tensions reach boiling point. 🔥
Israel’s parliament passed laws in October 2024 barring UNRWA from operating in the country and cutting all official contact. The measures took effect Thursday, but UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric declared: “The directive is that UNRWA will continue to do its work until it no longer can.” 💪
Despite emptied offices in East Jerusalem, UNRWA staff are still running clinics 🏥 across the occupied West Bank and Gaza while working remotely. “We’re committed to staying and delivering,” Dujarric stressed during a UN briefing.
Israel claims UNRWA employs Hamas-linked operatives, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein calling the agency “riddled with Hamas” on social media. The move has sparked global alarm, with aid groups warning of catastrophic impacts on education, healthcare 🩺, and food security for millions.
Founded in 1950, UNRWA assists Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Gaza, and the West Bank. As the standoff intensifies, the world watches 👀 to see how this high-stakes humanitarian drama will unfold.
