Laws restricting U.N. aid agency for Palestinians passed by Israel

 

Due to the October 7 invasion, Israel’s parliament has passed two laws that could seriously impede the work of the United Nations aid agency in Gaza, prompting warnings from officials that it will deepen the humanitarian crisis gripping the Palestinian enclave.

The U.N. relief agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, is been prevented by one of the laws from operating within Israeli territory. 

In a statement, the U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said he would bring the matter to the U.N. General Assembly, adding that UNRWA “is the principal means” by which aid is supplied to Palestinians. “There is no alternative to UNRWA,” he said.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the United States had made clear to Israel that it was “deeply concerned.” The Biden administration this month warned Israel that it must increase the amount of humanitarian aid it is allowing into Gaza or risk losing U.S. weapons funding.