The United Nations said Israel is obligated under international humanitarian law to ensure that the needs of the Gaza population are met.
The United Nations said on Tuesday that Israel’s government must step in to meet the needs of Gaza civilians if it implements a ban on the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) as “there is no alternative” to the agency.
United Nations spokesperson Stephane Dujarric made the remarks after Israel’s parliament, the Knesset,
voted on Oct. 28 to approve two laws banning UNRWA from operating on Israeli soil and severing all dealings with it.
The laws, due to come into effect in 90 days, prevent Israeli officials from having any communications with UNRWA and strip the agency’s staff of their legal immunities. The U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres
said on Monday that the laws, if implemented, “would likely prevent UNRWA from continuing its essential work in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, as mandated by the UN General Assembly.”
Several countries have condemned Israel’s decision to pass the laws. U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said on Monday that the United States has
deep concerns over the legislation and urged the Israeli government not to move forward with it. The European Union also called on Israel to reconsider its decision.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Dujarric
said Israel is obligated under international humanitarian law to ensure that the needs of the Gaza population are met, otherwise, it must facilitate the activities of UNRWA and other humanitarian agencies to meet those needs.
“So should UNRWA cease to operate—and for us there is no alternative, right—Israel would have to fill the vacuum and meet those needs, or otherwise be in violation of international law,” he said.
Dujarric said that U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sent a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “not too long ago,” outlining his concerns about the laws.
“We are in contact with Israeli authorities,” he stated, warning that the laws could have a “devastating impact” on Gaza’s humanitarian situation if they were implemented.
Commissioner-General of UNRWA Philippe Lazzarini said the Knesset’s vote “sets a dangerous precedent” as it conflicts with the U.N. Charter and violates Israel’s obligations under international law.
“These bills will only deepen the suffering of Palestinians, especially in Gaza where people have been going through more than a year of sheer hell,” Lazzarini
stated in an Oct. 28 post on social media platform X.
In response to Lazzarini’s statement, Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon said that the real danger lies in “ignoring UNRWA’s blatant complicity,” citing some UNRWA employees’ alleged ties to Hamas.
“You didn’t answer our calls. You didn’t stop Hamas from infiltrating UNRWA and exploiting it for terror,” Danon
stated on X. “Israel will not sit by while our people’s suffering is manipulated and funded under the guise of aid.”
The U.N. launched an investigation after Israel informed UNRWA in January that 12 of its staff members were allegedly involved in Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel. Ten UNRWA staff members were immediately terminated, while the remaining two were confirmed dead.
Israel reported seven more cases to the U.N. in March and April. The U.N. Office of Oversight Services
released its findings on Aug. 5, indicating that nine UNRWA staff members may have been involved in the Hamas attacks, and those employees were fired.
UNRWA has over 300 installations and 13,000 staff in Gaza, most of whom are Palestinians, ranging from teachers in schools that the agency runs to medical staff and aid workers.
Chris Summers contributed to this report.
