STORY: What impact will Israel's ban of UNRWA have on Gaza?
The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees employs thousands of people who run the enclave's schools, its primary healthcare clinics and other social services, as well as distributing humanitarian aid.
Israeli lawmakers on Monday (October 28) banned the agency from operating within Israel.
The move raises concerns about UNRWA's ability to provide relief in Gaza and has alarmed Western allies who fund it.
Since Israel launched its war following the Oct. 7 attacks in 2023, nearly the entire Gazan population now relies on UNRWA for the basics, including food, water, and hygiene supplies.
Other U.N. agencies say the humanitarian system in Gaza would likely collapse without UNRWA, as they'd be unable to distribute lifesaving supplies.
Here's UNICEF spokesperson James Elder.
''So a decision such as this suddenly means that a new way has been found to kill children."
The World Health Orginization's Tarik Jasarevic says around three thousand UNRWA health workers have also provided medical consultations for more than half the enclave's population.
"It's truly unmatched. It couldn't be matched by any agency"
The U.N. said in August that nine UNRWA staff may have been involved in the Oct 7 attacks, and fired them.
Israeli authorities have long called for the agency to be dismantled, arguing it fosters anti-Israeli sentiment among its staff and in its wider social mission.
UNRWA strongly disputes this characterisation.
