Israel Ban on UN Aid Agency for Palestinians Goes Into Effect

The United Nations agency for Palestinian aid says the effect will be ‘disastrous.’

An overview shows a make-shift camp for people displaced by conflict at a school run by the UNRWA in Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on Sept. 9, 2024. Eyad Baba/AFP via Getty Images

An Israeli ban on the lead United Nations agency for Palestinians because of its ties to terror groups, including Hamas, went into effect on Jan. 30, after Israel’s Supreme Court rejected a petition from a rights group opposing the move.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is now banned from operating on Israeli soil. Contact between it and Israeli officials is also forbidden.