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Israel Pushes for UN Agencies to Replace UNRWA in Gaza Amid Aid Crisis

UNRWA warns of worsening humanitarian conditions as Israel seeks alternatives to the agency, which it accuses of ties to Hamas.

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Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, speaks to the press after a meeting with Norway's Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide, in Oslo, Norway, January 14, 2025. Terje Pedersen/NTB/via REUTERS/File Photo
A truck, marked with United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) logo, crosses into Egypt from Gaza, at the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, during a temporary truce between Hamas and Israel, in Rafah, Egypt, November 27, 2023. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh/File Photo
Daniel Meron, Israel's ambassador to the UN, addressing reporters in Geneva

Overview

  • Israel has banned UNRWA from operating on its territory and is urging other UN agencies and NGOs to take over its functions in Gaza.
  • The UNRWA Commissioner-General has warned that Gaza faces a potential hunger crisis as aid blockades and electricity cuts impact food and water supplies.
  • Israel claims UNRWA has links to Hamas and cites this as the reason for seeking substitute organizations to handle aid distribution.
  • UNRWA continues to provide critical services in Gaza, including food assistance, healthcare, and education, despite financial challenges and disinformation campaigns.
  • Aid organizations and UN agencies have expressed concerns that there are currently no viable replacements for UNRWA's comprehensive role in the region.