Israel cuts ties with UNRWA

Israel will cut ties with the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees on Thursday following accusations it provided cover for Hamas militants, a move likely to hamper delivery of its vital services after 15 months of war in Gaza.

The agency, UNRWA, will be banned from operating on Israeli soil, and contact between it and Israeli officials will also be forbidden.

UNRWA has provided support for Palestinian refugees around the Middle East for over 70 years but has long clashed with Israeli officials, who have repeatedly accused it of undermining the country's security.

The hostility intensified in the wake of Hamas's Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel, with accusations that UNRWA employees participated in the assault. 

"Humanitarian aid doesn't equal UNRWA, and UNRWA doesn't equal humanitarian aid. UNRWA equals an organization infested with Hamas terror activity," Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein wrote on social media platform X ahead of the ban.

"This is why, beginning on January 30 and in accordance with Israeli law, Israel will have no contact with UNRWA."

The agency's offices and staff in Israel play a major role in the provision of healthcare and education to Palestinians, including those living in the Gaza Strip, which has been devastated by the war between Israel and Hamas.

Government spokesman David Mencer told journalists on Wednesday that "UNRWA is riddled with Hamas operatives," adding that "if a state funds UNRWA, that state is funding terrorists."

"UNRWA employs over 1,200 Hamas members, including terrorists who carried out the Oct. 7 massacre," Mencer said. "This isn't aid, it's direct financial support for terror."