Beyza Binnur Donmez
28 January 2025•Update: 28 January 2025
GENEVA
The UN humanitarian office on Tuesday criticized Israel's impending ban on the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, or the UNRWA, and urged a reversal of provisions that would force the agency to vacate all premises in the occupied East Jerusalem and cease operations by Jan. 30, leading a loss of contact between the main aid deliverer in Gaza and Israel.
"As we have said since this was first discussed in the political realm of this conflict, this does not make any sense," spokesperson Jens Laerke said in response to a question by Anadolu during a UN press briefing in Geneva.
"And I recall when they were first introduced, we urged, as a UN system, to reconsider these provisions," Laerke said, and reiterated: "It does not make sense to us."
Laerke reaffirmed the UN's full support for the UNRWA and its Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, amid mounting concerns about the ban's impact on humanitarian operations.
"We stand fully behind UNRWA and what they are doing and what Mr. Lazzarini's messaging about," he said, referring to Lazzarini's remarks that the agency will stay and deliver as much as it can amid risks against the safe movement in Gaza due to "no-contact policy" with Israel.
Calling the UN agency for Palestinian refugees the "backbone" of humanitarian efforts in the region, Laerke emphasized the agency's essential role.
He also stressed the agency's capacity of thousands of staff which continued to deliver logistics, health, and education services for over 15 months of the war.
The ban, which comes amid the ongoing hostilities in Gaza, has raised alarms about disruptions to critical aid for millions of Palestinian refugees. UN officials have repeatedly warned that such measures could exacerbate the already dire humanitarian crisis.
UNRWA, which has operated since 1949, provides essential services such as education and healthcare to Palestinian refugees across the West Bank, Gaza, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria. Despite political and financial challenges, the agency has remained a lifeline for vulnerable communities.
"Our position remains the same. UNRWA is an indispensable part of the operation, and they need to remain," Laerke said, stressing the need for Israel to reverse its decision.
The Israeli government has yet to respond to calls from the UN and the international community to reconsider the provisions, which are expected to deepen tensions and disrupt critical humanitarian operations in the region.
