UN investigated Israel\u2019s claim and fired nine of those accused<\/a>, but it said Israel had not provided evidence for broader allegations. Unrwa insists that dealings with Hamas are purely to enable the agency to do its job.<\/p>\nIsrael’s parliament, the Knesset, approved the two bills by an overwhelming majority on Monday evening.<\/p>\n
Presenting the legislation, Yuli Edelstein, the chairman of the Knesset’s foreign affairs and security committee, accused Unrwa of being used as a “cover for terrorist actions”.<\/p>\n
“There is a deep connection between the terrorist organisation (Hamas) and Unrwa, and Israel cannot put up with it,” he said in parliament. <\/p>\n
Unrwa – the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees – has for decades provided a range of services and support including healthcare and education to millions of Palestinians in Gaza.<\/p>\n
Since the war broke out last year, the agency’s presence on the ground has made it a crucial part of efforts to get humanitarian supplies to civilians, almost all of whom are dependent on aid for survival.<\/p>\n
Unrwa Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini condemned the ban as “unprecedented”, and said it “opposes the UN Charter and violates the State of Israel\u2019s obligations under international law”.<\/p>\n
He said people in Gaza had already endured “sheer hell”, adding: “It \u2060will deprive over 650,000 girls and boys there from education, putting at risk an entire generation of children.”<\/p>\n
About two-and-half million Palestinians are registered with Unrwa in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.<\/p>\n
In northern Gaza, where Israeli troops are conducting military operations against Hamas fighters, hundreds of thousands of people are living in increasingly desperate conditions.<\/p>\n
UN human rights chief Volker T\u00fcrk said on Friday that “the Israeli military is subjecting an entire population to bombing, siege and risk of starvation”.<\/p>\n
Many Palestinians believe the Israeli military is implementing a “surrender or starve” plan in Gaza’s north, which would see the forced displacement of all of the estimated 400,000 civilians there to the south, followed by a siege of any remaining Hamas fighters.<\/p>\n
The Israeli military has denied having such a plan and says it is making sure that civilians get out of harm\u2019s way.<\/p>\n
Israel launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to its 7 October attack on Israel, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.<\/p>\n
More than 42,710 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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