Overview
- In a January 8 letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, António Guterres warned he could refer Israel to the International Court of Justice unless anti-UNRWA measures are reversed and seized assets are returned.
- Israel’s Knesset banned UNRWA operations in October 2024 and last month expanded the law to cut electricity and water to the agency’s facilities.
- Israeli authorities seized UNRWA’s East Jerusalem offices last month, with the UN treating East Jerusalem as occupied territory while Israel claims sovereignty over the entire city.
- Israel’s UN ambassador Danny Danon rejected the warning, saying the country is not fazed and accusing UNRWA of involvement in terrorism.
- UNRWA remains central to aid delivery in Gaza as the UN reports nine staff linked to the Oct. 7, 2023 attack were fired, donor governments partially restored funding after earlier suspensions, and past ICJ opinions urged protection of UN privileges and meeting civilians’ basic needs.