JERUSALEM / ISTANBUL 

Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen announced Tuesday that electricity and water had been cut off to the offices of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), in a move intended to halt the agency’s operations inside Israel.

Under the slogan “Turning off the lights at UNRWA!” Cohen wrote on X that “the law to disconnect electricity and water from UNRWA offices, which will lead to the cessation of the organization’s activities in Israel, has been published.”

Cohen claimed that the UN agency has served as “an operational arm of Hamas,” alleging that it acts as “a breeding ground for incitement and murder and has no right to exist.”

Israel officially implemented a ban on UNRWA activities at the end of January. The agency was forced to vacate its main office in occupied East Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, and Israeli authorities later ordered the closure of six UNRWA-run schools in the city.

On Oct. 28, 2024, the Israeli Knesset passed two final laws barring UNRWA from operating in Israel, revoking its privileges and immunities, and prohibiting any formal contact with the agency.

Israel has alleged that the agency employees participated in the Hamas attack in late 2023, an accusation the agency has firmly denied. The UN has reiterated UNRWA’s commitment to neutrality and rejected Israel’s ban, emphasizing the agency’s vital role in delivering humanitarian aid.

As the Israeli war in Gaza intensified, Palestinians have become increasingly dependent on UNRWA, the largest international humanitarian organization serving the population.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, Israel has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since October 2023, killing nearly 58,500 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave and led to food shortages and disease.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.