Israel's UNRWA ban sparks global backlash

Global condemnation has mounted over Israel's new ban on the United Nation's primary Palestinian refugee agency, UNRWA, amid an escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

On Monday, the Israeli parliament voted overwhelmingly to ban the UN aid agency from operating with Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, while also passing a measure prohibiting Israeli officials from collaborating with UNRWA and its employees.

Israel strictly controls all humanitarian aid shipments to Gaza, and UNRWA has provided essential aid, schooling and healthcare across Palestinian territories and the diaspora for more than seven decades.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed urgent concern over the decision's "devastating consequences", stressing that the ban could severely impede essential services.

Türkiye termed Israel's actions to ban UNRWA in breach of international law.

Israel aims to destroy the two-state solution and prevent the return of Palestinian refugees to their homeland by targeting UNRWA, the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement.

"Since 1949, UNRWA has provided vital assistance to millions of Palestinian refugees, and its activities are crucial for regional stability," it said.

Western condemnation

Israel's Western allies, including the UK and France, voiced grave concerns, calling the decision a blow to civilian aid.

"Britain is gravely concerned by this decision," said Prime Minister Keir Starmer, while France warned that the ban could "have a catastrophic effect on Palestinian civilians".

Germany, one of Tel Aviv's closest allies, cautioned that UNRWA's forced exit would cripple vital education, healthcare and emergency relief for millions, leaving the region vulnerable to deepening humanitarian fallout.

Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide added, "Norway strongly rejects the legislation," saying, "This is a serious decision that will severely impact civilian Palestinians. People who are suffering and living in deep need will be pushed even closer to the brink."

Arab condemnation

Arab nations, too, strongly condemned the Israeli Knesset's legislation.

Qatar, one of the mediators in Israel's war on Gaza, said the decision "will have disastrous consequences".

"The international community cannot stand silent in the face of this disregard for its international institutions," the Gulf emirate's foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari told reporters.

Israel's neighbour Jordan condemned the law as an attempt to "assassinate" the agency politically, underscoring escalating diplomatic tensions surrounding the conflict.

The Iraqi government called the ban "a serious development affecting the humanitarian situation and an obstacle to efforts to deliver aid to the occupied Palestinian territories".

Egypt's Foreign Ministry decried the new law as "part of a long series of Israeli violations of international law and international humanitarian law that reflects an unacceptable disregard for the international community and the UN".