Several countries have told the United Nations Security Council that they “deeply deplore” the Israeli parliament’s decision to “abolish” the operations of the UN aid agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, set to take effect on Thursday.

In a joint statement, Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Slovenia and Spain condemned Israel’s withdrawal from the 1967 agreement between Israel and UNRWA as well as any efforts to hinder the agency’s ability to function and fulfil its mandate from the UN General Assembly.

Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner general of UNRWA, told the Security Council on Tuesday that the ban would “heighten instability and deepen despair in the occupied Palestinian territory at a critical moment”.

Knesset approves bills to halt UNRWA aid

In October, the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, passed two bills targeting the operations of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.

The first bill prohibits UNRWA from conducting activities within Israel’s borders while the second makes it illegal for Israeli officials to have any contact with UNRWA. The legislation is set to take effect on Thursday.

UNRWA spokesperson Juliette Touma expressed concerns about the potential consequences of the ban, telling Al Jazeera: “If the ban takes place and we are not able to operate in Gaza, the ceasefire, which also includes bringing in humanitarian supplies for the agency and people in need, might collapse.”

The first phase of the ceasefire, which began on January 19, includes provisions for a surge in aid into the enclave of up to 600 trucks per day.

Israel’s ban would make it impossible for the agency to obtain any entrance permits to operate in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip – both of which are under Israeli control – in effect crippling the agency’s ability to carry out its mandate.

What is UNRWA and where does it operate?

UNRWA was established by the General Assembly in 1949 to provide humanitarian assistance to 750,000 Palestinian refugees who were uprooted from their land during the creation of Israel in 1948, an event known to Palestinians as the Nakba, or “catastrophe”.

The organisation – employing 30,000 staff, primarily Palestinian refugees along with a small number of international employees – delivers emergency relief, education, healthcare and social services to at least 5.9 million Palestinians within Palestine and neighbouring countries.

UNRWA operates 58 refugee camps including:

• West Bank: 19 camps housing 912,879 registered refugees
• Gaza: eight camps housing 1.6 million people
• Jordan: 10 camps with 2.39 million people
• Lebanon: 12 camps, home to 489,292 people
• Syria: nine camps with 438,000 people

UNRWA’s role in Gaza and the West Bank

For generations, UNRWA has been the primary provider of health and education services to millions of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation in Gaza, the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem.

According to Lazzarini: “The ban would cripple the humanitarian response in Gaza and deprive millions of Palestine refugees of essential services in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. They would also eliminate a vocal witness to the countless horrors and injustices Palestinians have endured for decades.”

Within Palestine, UNRWA offers free primary and secondary education to more than 300,000 children, including:

• 294,086 children in Gaza, or half of all students in the enclave
• 46,022 children in the West Bank

UNRWA also offers free primary healthcare, maternal and child health services to:

• 1.2 million people in Gaza – more than half of the population
• 894,951 people in the West Bank

UNRWA also provides food for:

• 1.13 million people in Gaza, or half of the population
• 23,903 people in the West Bank

UNRWA also plays a critical role in providing employment opportunities, microfinance programmes and support for income-generating initiatives.

‘Backbone of humanitarian operations’ in Gaza

Among the regions under UNRWA’s mandate, the Gaza Strip, with a population of 2.3 million people, has the highest dependence on the agency’s services for survival.

While other UN organisations such as UNICEF, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, World Food Programme and World Health Organization all provide life-saving services, UNRWA is the “backbone of humanitarian operations” in Gaza, Touma told Al Jazeera.

“All UN agencies depend heavily on UNRWA for humanitarian operations, including bringing in supplies and fuel. We are the largest humanitarian agency in Gaza,” she told Al Jazeera.

In January 2024, Israeli authorities accused UNRWA workers of participating in the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attacks on southern Israel. This led several countries to cut funding to the organisation.

However, after an investigation by the UN and the termination of nine staff members, all donors except the United States and Sweden have resumed funding.

Since Israel began its genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, its military has killed at least 47,354 people and injured at least 111,563 others. Those who have survived the conflict have lost nearly everything.

During the 15-month war, UNRWA provided:

• Food assistance: delivered food to 1.9 million people experiencing extreme hunger
• Healthcare: offered primary healthcare consultations to 1.6 million individuals
• Mental health support: provided mental health and psychosocial support to 730,000 people
• Water: ensured access to clean water for 600,000 people
• Waste management: collected more than 10,000 tonnes of solid waste from camps

According to an UNRWA situation report, 272 UNRWA team members were killed in 665 Israeli attacks and 205 UNRWA facilities were damaged.

What happens once the ban takes effect?

Despite Israel’s ban and the already hostile work environment, Lazzarini reaffirmed UNRWA’s commitment to “stay and deliver”.

The first law passed by the Knesset prohibits any UNRWA presence or activities within Israel, directly affecting hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem, which Israel annexed in 1980 in violation of international law.

“Then you have a second law, which prevents any contact between Israeli officials and UNRWA officials. The law does not say stop the activity in the West Bank or Gaza but prevents any contact – but the fact is if you have no bureaucratic or administrative relation, it makes your operational environment even more challenging,” Lazzarini said.

The ban will also restrict the movement of UNRWA’s non-Palestinian staff although Palestinian employees will still be allowed to carry out their work.

“The agency remains determined to do everything possible to fulfil its mandate and deliver critical services to alleviate the plight of Palestinian refugees,” Lazzarini emphasised.

UNRWA’s top donors

In 2023, UNRWA received $1.46bn in total pledges with the largest contributions coming from the US ($422m), Germany ($212.9m) and the European Union ($120.2m).

Funding requirements for 2025

UNRWA says it needs $1.7bn to address the most critical humanitarian needs of 1.9 million people in Gaza and 275,000 people in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

This includes:

• Food ($568.5m): Nearly half of Gaza’s population depends on food aid from UNRWA. This funding will support food distribution to 1.13 million people in Gaza and more than 23,000 people in the West Bank.
• Water and sanitation ($282.6m): This money would go to ensuring access to clean water and proper sanitation, especially in Gaza, where Israel’s war has decimated water infrastructure.
• Coordination and management ($202.3m): Funds are also needed for maintaining staff, logistics and coordination to deliver aid effectively.

Funding is essential to sustain UNRWA’s life-saving operations. Without it, critical services like food aid, healthcare and water access could collapse, deepening the humanitarian crisis.