UNICEF statement on Israeli legislation on UNRWA

NEW YORK, 30 October 2024 - "UNRWA is the main UN agency providing essential services and protection to Palestinians in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and is the backbone of the humanitarian response in Gaza. As the Secretary-General has said, ‘there is no alternative to UNRWA.’

“UNRWA is the only United Nations General Assembly-mandated agency to provide for Palestinian refugees. UNRWA runs a range of social services, with over 18,000 employees in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, providing health, education and other essential services for Palestinian refugees. No UN agency can take over this responsibility.

“UNRWA is indispensable in delivering the urgent, life-saving assistance that 2.2 million people in Gaza urgently need. With the children of Gaza already facing one of the gravest humanitarian crises in recent history, if fully implemented, this decision will be deadly.”