Israel informs UN of decision to withdraw from deal with UNRWA

In a letter addressed to UN General Assembly President Philemon Yang, Israel’s Foreign Ministry stated that the withdrawal relates to the 1967 agreement concerning UNRWA’s operations in support of Palestinian refugees.

The withdrawal will take effect after a three-month transition period.

Israel emphasized that it would still work with international partners, including other UN agencies, to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches civilians in the Gaza Strip.

However, the ministry highlighted the importance of safeguarding Israel’s security, signaling that aid facilitation should not compromise its safety.

The statement added that Israel expects the UN to contribute to these efforts, aligning humanitarian support with regional security needs.

The letter was also copied to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

The body has been rendering essential relief services across the Palestinian territories and to Palestinian refugees elsewhere for more than seven decades.

The ban culminates Israeli authorities’ unrelenting efforts at smothering the flow of direly-needed aid supplies into the territories, including Gaza.

The move comes after the Israeli parliament last month approved a proposal to shut down UNRWA’s operations in the occupied Palestinian territory.

It also comes amid a 13-month-long genocidal war by the regime against the coastal sliver that has claimed the lives of more than 43,300 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and displaced almost the entirety of the territory’s 2.4-million-strong population.

The war has featured numerous attacks against facilities belonging to UNRWA.