Extract from ABC News
The UN agency has provided vital aid to Palestinians since the Israeli invasion. (ABC News: Haidarr Jones)
Israel's parliament has passed legislation that could restrict the main UN agency providing aid to people in Gaza.
The new laws designate UNRWA a terrorist organisation, cutting diplomatic ties with the agency and barring it from operating on Israeli soil.
The two bills prohibit ties between Israeli officials and the agency, and strips its staff of their legal immunities.
They ban UNRWA from conducting "any activity" or providing any service inside Israel.
The legislation, which would not take effect immediately, risks collapsing the fragile aid distribution process at a moment when the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is worsening and Israel is under increased US pressure to ramp up aid.
The vote passed 92-10 and followed a fiery debate between supporters of the law and its opponents, mostly members of Arab parliamentary parties.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said UNRWA workers must be held accountable for what he called their "terrorist activities" against the country.
He also said sustained humanitarian aid must remain available in Gaza "now and in the future".
Israel accuses UNRWA of ties to Hamas
Taken together, these bills would signal a new low in relations between Israel and UNRWA, which Israel accuses of maintaining close ties with Hamas militants.
Australia and the US were among countries that paused funding for UNRWA this year after it was revealed members of staff were involved in the October 7 attack.
UNRWA terminated the contracts of 10 of the 12 people accused and a subsequent review found no evidence to support Israel’s accusation that 450 UNRWA staff were military operatives in Gaza terrorist groups.
The changes would also be a serious blow to the agency and to Palestinians in Gaza who have become reliant upon it for aid throughout more than a year of devastating war.
The bills risk crippling the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
More than 1.9 million Palestinians are displaced from their homes and Gaza faces widespread shortages of food, water and medicine.
Israel has alleged that some of UNRWA's thousands of staff members participated in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks that sparked the war in Gaza.
The attack left about 1,200 people dead, with about 250 hostages taken back to Gaza.
In retaliation, Israel's invasion of Gaza has killed more than 42,000 people, according to local health authorities.
The Australian government considers Hamas to be a terrorist organisation.
US has deep concern over ban
US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said UNRWA played an "irreplaceable role right now in Gaza" and that the US had raised concerns with the Israeli government.
"So we have made quite clear to the government of Israel that we are deeply concerned by this," he said.
"Passage of this legislation could have implications under US law and US policy that remains the case.
"Look, UNWRA plays a critical, important role in delivering humanitarian assistance to civilians that need it in Gaza.
"That's not the only role they play. They play an important role providing services to Palestinians in the West Bank and throughout the region as well.
"But they really play an irreplaceable role right now in Gaza, where they are on the front lines getting humanitarian assistance to the people that need it."
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