NEW YORK, January 31, 2025 (WAFA) – The Bureau of the Advisory Commission on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has called on the Israeli government to suspend the implementation of new legislation that would restrict the agency’s operations in the occupied Palestinian territories.

According to the bureau, enforcing this legislation would severely impact humanitarian efforts in Gaza, potentially jeopardizing the fragile ceasefire and undermining regional stability.

The bureau emphasized that amid ongoing international efforts to sustain the ceasefire, addressing the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza remains an urgent priority. It stressed the need for swift and adequate aid delivery to alleviate the crisis affecting civilians.

UNRWA has played a central role in emergency response efforts in Gaza over the past 15 months, facilitating more than half of the humanitarian assistance. The agency remains essential in ensuring the successful implementation of the ceasefire, providing aid and education to hundreds of thousands of children in Gaza, as well as 50,000 students in its schools across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

The statement highlighted the agency’s critical role not only in sustaining humanitarian relief but also in supporting long-term human and economic development for Palestinians. It underscored UNRWA’s contribution to maintaining stability and fostering a pathway toward a lasting political resolution.

The bureau reaffirmed that until a just and lasting solution for Palestinian refugees is achieved in accordance with international law and relevant UN resolutions, UNRWA's operations remain indispensable across all five areas of its mandate.

M.N