TEL AVIV,  January 30, 2025 (WAFA) - Two Israeli Knesset laws targeting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the Palestinian territories will come into effect, meaning that tens of thousands of Palestinian refugees will be deprived of services, including education and health care.

Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, informed UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that the agency must cease all its activities in occupied Jerusalem and vacate its buildings by Thursday.

The first law prohibits UNRWA’s activities within “areas under Israeli sovereignty,” including operating representative offices and providing services, while the other law prohibits any contact with the agency.

For the agency, cutting off contact will effectively end coordination to ensure safe movements for UNRWA’s Palestinian staff, impose dangerous working conditions on them, and prevent its international employees from obtaining entry visas and working in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The law will also place obstacles in the way of UNRWA’s dealings with Israeli banks, obtaining financial transfers, paying salaries, and settling its dues.

K.T