Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a post on X, «UNRWA is an organization that the Palestinian people cannot do without, and it has continued its work for 70 years.»

   He added that the decision contradicts Israel’s obligations and responsibilities and threatens the lives and health of everyone who trusts UNRWA.

    The Israeli Knesset finally approved, in the second and third readings, a law banning the activity of the UNRWA inside Israel, despite international warnings about the danger of this legislation that violates international and charters and laws.

   The law aims to «prevent any activity by UNRWA in the territory of the State of Israel,» and the law stipulates that «UNRWA shall not operate any representative office, shall not provide any service and shall not carry out any activity, directly or indirectly, in the territory of the State of Israel.»

   Under the law, the 1967 agreement that allowed UNRWA to operate in Israel is cancelled and the agency’s activities in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories are therefore halted, and any contact between Israeli officials and its employees is prohibited.

   UNRWA was established by a resolution of the United Nations General Assembly in 1949, and was mandated to provide assistance and protection to Palestinian refugees in its five areas of operation: Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip.