MOSCOW, October 31. /TASS/. Russia calls on the Israeli authorities not to ban UNRWA activities in the Gaza Strip, which violates international law, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"Russia supports the calls of the UN Secretary General, including in his letter to the President of the UN General Assembly dated October 28, and the UNRWA Commissioner General to Israel to comply with its international legal obligations, to cancel or not to put into force the mentioned bills," the ministry said.

Russian diplomats pointed out that the adoption of these bills not only violates international law, including the UN General Assembly decisions and the UN Charter, but also contradicts the terms of Israel's accession to the UN.

Israel's actions against the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) will become another form of collective punishment of millions of Palestinians, the ministry added.

The Russian diplomats recalled that on October 28, the Israeli parliament approved a package of two bills banning UNRWA's activities and depriving the UN agency of its immunities and privileges. "After the entry into force of these bills, within 90 days, the work of the agency in the occupied Palestinian territory - the Gaza Strip, the West Bank of the Jordan River, including East Jerusalem - will be stopped," the ministry emphasized. "In practical terms, this will become another form of collective punishment of millions of Palestinians, for whom UNRWA was and remains, in fact, the only and non-alternative source of comprehensive support in the areas of humanitarian assistance, education, health care and social services," the Russian diplomats pointed out.

"The Russian side will continue to make efforts on the platforms of the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly to defend the agency's mandate so that it could continue its unique work to assist Palestinians," the Foreign Ministry concluded.

The Kan radio reported on October 28 that the Knesset (Israel’s parliament) had passed a law banning UNRWA from operating in Israel. Ninety-two lawmakers voted for the ban and ten against. The law prohibits the agency from having offices, providing services, or carrying out any activity, directly or indirectly, on Israeli territory.

In early October, the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee approved a draft law banning UNRWA from operating in the country. The draft law was developed in light of information about the involvement of the agency's employees in an attack on Israel carried out by armed supporters of the radical Palestinian movement Hamas on October 7. The Israeli side has repeatedly stated that many UNRWA employees are simultaneously involved in the activities of the Hamas military wing.