IRELAND HAS JOINED six other European countries in condemning a new Israeli law restricting the work of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestinian Refugees in Gaza and the West Bank.

The legislation, passed by the Knesset (Israeli parliament) on 29 December, requires electricity and water providers to cut services to UNRWA facilities, blocks access to communications and banking, and allows Israel to seize UNRWA properties in East Jerusalem without legal proceedings.

UNRWA provides essential education, healthcare, and humanitarian aid to millions of Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.

Trucks carrying UNRWA humanitarian aid pictured at the Egypt-Gaza border. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

The new Israeli legislation violates international law, undermines the UN’s mandate, and risks severe humanitarian consequences for civilians, critics have warned.

In a statement today, Ireland and six other nations – Iceland, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Slovenia, and Spain – stressed that Israel must allow established international NGOs to continue operating in Gaza.

The seven countries also highlighted that humanitarian organisations are critical in delivering essential services amid the dire humanitarian crisis in the region.

“Respect for the privileges and immunities of the United Nations and for international humanitarian law is imperative,” their joint statement said.

“The work of the UN, in particular UNRWA, together with other humanitarian organisations and NGOs, is essential to confront the catastrophic humanitarian situation and to deliver life-saving assistance and essential services to the civilian population in Gaza, the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the wider region,” the statement added.

The law builds on measures passed in Israel in October 2024 that barred UNRWA from operating in Israeli territory and prohibited contact with state authorities.

Israel claims some UNRWA staff have links to militant groups, but the International Court of Justice and the UN General Assembly have rejected these claims, emphasising Israel must allow UNRWA to operate.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres called the law “inconsistent with the status and international legal framework applicable to UNRWA” and urged its repeal.

UNRWA continues to operate in the region despite the restrictions, providing medical care, education, and shelter to tens of thousands of displaced people in Gaza and the West Bank.

In Gaza alone, over 79,000 displaced people rely on more than 100 UNRWA schools turned into shelters.

Over in the West Bank, an UNRWA-operated site was targeted by Israeli forces last month.

On 8 December, Israeli forces forcibly entered the UNRWA compound in East Jerusalem, seizing furniture, IT equipment, and other assets, an UNRWA report said.

The UN flag on the compound was taken down and replaced with an Israeli flag.

Since October 2023, 382 UNRWA staff have been killed in Gaza (309 UNRWA personnel, in addition to 73 persons who were supporting UNRWA).