On Monday morning, Foreign Minister Israel Katz formally announced the cancellation of Israel’s 1967 agreement with UNRWA, the UN agency tasked with supporting “Palestinian refugees.”
This agreement had long defined the official framework between Israel and UNRWA, but was rescinded after the Knesset passed legislation last week banning the agency’s operations in Israel.
Minister Katz stated, “UNRWA, an organization whose employees were involved in the October 7 massacre and which has many Hamas operatives among its ranks, is part of the problem in Gaza, not part of the solution.” He added that “despite substantial evidence provided to the UN of Hamas operatives within UNRWA and the misuse of its facilities for terrorist activities, no action was taken. Moreover, UNRWA disregarded recommendations from the UN’s own Colonna report.”
Katz emphasized that “claims of there being no alternative to UNRWA are unfounded; already, the vast majority of humanitarian aid reaches Gaza through other organizations, with only 13 percent coming from UNRWA. Israel remains committed to international law and will continue facilitating humanitarian aid to Gaza in a way that ensures the security of its citizens.”
In response to Katz’s announcement, Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, noted that following the new legislation, “we formally notified the President of the General Assembly of Israel’s termination of cooperation with UNRWA. Despite overwhelming evidence we presented to the UN on Hamas infiltration into UNRWA, there was no corrective action taken.”
