Aid distribution What Israel's ban on Unrwa may mean for Palestinians

Israel this week insisted it would not back down over its plan to close the Gaza operations of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (Unrwa), even though critics said the move would jeopardise urgent humanitarian aid efforts.

- Patrick Wintour

Israel ordered the UN agency to vacate its headquarters in East Jerusalem by Thursday this week, after the Knesset passed a law on 28 October banning its operations in Israel and the Palestinian territories.

Earlier this week it had not said how it would implement a related law ending all Israeli government cooperation with Unrwa, which could come into force on the same day and strangle its operations in the West Bank and Gaza.

The move comes as Unrwa and other aid groups have been able, as part of the ceasefire agreement, to pour aid into the Gaza Strip after months of Israeli obstruction, amid warnings of imminent famine in some areas.

Sam Rose, Unrwa's acting director of emergency operations, told the Guardian he expected it to have provided food parcels to 1 million people since the 19 January ceasefire, and was also primed to send stocks including tarpaulins and mattresses for 1.6 million people.

The Israeli government is adamant that Unrwa staff took part in the 7 October massacre, and that Hamas has infiltrated the organisation, compromising its neutrality. The UN commissioned two independent reports on aspects of the allegations, and says it acted to protect its neutrality where clear evidence was produced.