US Urges Israel To Rethink Palestinian Aid Agency Ban

UNRWA’s director is not sure there is a plan B’ to its vital services as Hezbollah declares Naim Qassem its new leader

- RACHEL HAGAN

The US has criticised Israel’s decision to ban the UN relief agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), warning of severe humanitarian consequences for millions, as Hezbollah appoints a new leader amid violence in Gaza and Lebanon.

As Israel’s new law against UNRWA draws international backlash, including condemnations from Spain, Ireland, Norway, Slovenia, and the UK, a US State Department spokesperson cautioned that the move risks a “catastrophe” for over three million Palestinians dependent on the agency for vital services.

The legislation, approved on Monday by the Israeli parliament, would – if implemented – prevent UNRWA from providing lifesaving support to Palestinians across Israeli-occupied Gaza and the West Bank.

The UN General Assembly established the body in 1949 to assist Palestinian refugees displaced during the founding of Israel. Today, it remains the primary organisation delivering humanitarian aid in Gaza and supports millions of Palestinian refugees across the occupied West Bank, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria.

The ban adds another flashpoint to the escalating conflict, with at least 93 Palestinians reportedly killed in an Israeli airstrike in northern Gaza early yesterday morning.