Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Wednesday (Jan 31) for the closure of the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) as his forces conducted more air strikes in Gaza amid diplomatic efforts for a ceasefire and release of hostages in the enclave.
Israel has accused some UNRWA staff of involvement in the Oct 7 Hamas assault in southern Israel that triggered the war in Gaza. Donors including the United States have paused funding pending an investigation, but aid agencies say ending UNRWA operations would wreck humanitarian efforts in devastated Gaza.
The Palestinians have accused Israel of falsifying information to tarnish UNRWA, which was set up to help refugees of the war at Israel’s founding in 1948 and to which more than half Gaza’s population look to, for day-to-day assistance.
“It’s time the international community and the UN itself understand that UNRWA’s mission has to end,” Netanyahu told visiting UN delegates, according to his office.
He said UNRWA should be replaced by other aid agencies “if we are going to solve the problem of Gaza as we intend to do”.
Earlier, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described UNRWA as “the backbone of all humanitarian response in Gaza” and appealed to all countries to “guarantee the continuity of UNRWA’s life-saving work”.
