TEL AVIV, February 18. /TASS/. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the immediate implementation of a law banning the activities of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in the country, the premier’s office said in a statement.
"Netanyahu has ordered the immediate implementation of the UNRWA law passed by the Knesset (parliament - TASS)," the statement reads.
The office added that "there are no restrictions on the implementation of the prime minister’s order.
Dmitry Gendelman, advisor to the Israeli premier’s office, told TASS on January 30 that a law ending UNRWA’s operations in Israel had entered into force.
Israeli Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Oren Marmorstein announced that Israel would stop communication with UNRWA starting on January 30. However, he noted that "Israel remains committed to facilitating humanitarian aid to Gaza in accordance with international law and the framework for the hostage release." According to the diplomat, "there are multiple alternative organizations to UNRWA - including UN agencies, international NGOs, and foreign countries - that are already operating to facilitate humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip, and their role will only increase."
Israel’s parliament passed a law banning UNRWA’s operations on October 28, 2024. The document had been prepared based on reports of UNRWA personnel’s alleged involvement in Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.