What is Unrwa and why has Israel banned it?

Israel's parliament voted connected Monday evening to prohibition nan UN's Palestinian exile agency (Unrwa) from operating wrong Israel and occupied East Jerusalem.

Contact betwixt Unrwa labor and Israeli officials will beryllium banned, crippling its expertise to run successful Gaza and nan Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Almost each of Gaza's organization of much than 2 cardinal group are limited connected assistance and services from nan agency.

The move has faced wide condemnation, pinch Unrwa informing nan caller rule could spot assistance proviso chains "fall apart" successful nan coming weeks.

Israel has defended nan move, repeating its allegation that a number of nan agency's unit were progressive successful Hamas's 7 October attacks past year, which killed 1,200 people.

However, Israel's guidance to Unrwa besides goes backmost decades.

Founded successful 1949, nan Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, aliases Unrwa, useful successful Gaza, nan West Bank, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan, initially caring for nan 700,000 Palestinians who were forced from aliases fled their homes aft nan creation of nan authorities of Israel.

Over nan decades, Unrwa has grown to go nan biggest UN agency operating successful Gaza. It employs immoderate 13,000 group location and is cardinal to humanitarian efforts.

It is funded chiefly by voluntary donations by UN personnel states, pinch nan UN itself providing immoderate nonstop funds.

It distributes assistance and runs shelters and cardinal infrastructure - specified arsenic aesculapian facilities, coach training centres and almost 300 superior schools.

Since nan warfare successful Gaza began, nan agency says it has distributed nutrient parcels to almost 1.9 cardinal people. It has besides offered astir six cardinal aesculapian consultations crossed nan enclave complete nan people of nan conflict.

More than 200 Unrwa unit person been killed successful Israeli attacks since October 2023 successful nan people of those duties, according to nan agency.

Unwra has agelong been criticised by Israel, pinch galore location objecting to its very existence.

The destiny of refugees has been a halfway rumor successful nan Arab-Israeli conflict, pinch Palestinians harbouring a dream of returning to homes successful historical Palestine, parts of which are now successful Israel.

Israel rejects their declare and criticises nan set-up of Unrwa for allowing exile position to beryllium inherited by successive generations.

It says this entrenches Palestinians arsenic refugees, and encourages their hopes of a correct of return.

The Israeli authorities has besides agelong denounced nan agency's school and textbooks for, successful its view, perpetuating anti-Israel views.

In 2022, an Israeli watchdog said Unrwa acquisition worldly taught students that Israel was attempting to "erase Palestinian identity”.

The European Commission identified what it called "anti-Semitic material" successful nan schoolbooks, "including moreover incitement to violence", and nan European Parliament has called many times for EU backing to nan Palestinian Authority to beryllium conditional connected removing specified content.

Unrwa has antecedently said reports astir its acquisition worldly were "inaccurate and misleading" and that galore of nan books successful mobility were not utilized successful its schools.

After nan 7 October Hamas attacks connected Israel, allegations that immoderate Unrwa unit were progressive further amplified calls successful Israel for nan agency to beryllium banned.

The subject claimed that successful total, much than 450 Unrwa unit were members of "terrorist organisations". In nan aftermath of nan allegations, immoderate 16 Western countries temporarily suspended backing for nan assistance agency.

The UN investigated Israel’s declare and fired 9 people, but it said Israel had not provided grounds for much allegations and Unrwa denied immoderate wider engagement pinch Hamas.

Speaking connected Monday night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeated nan allegations, penning connected X that "Unrwa workers progressive successful violent activities against Israel must beryllium held accountable."

Under nan caller rule - which was approved by 92 MPs and opposed by conscionable 10 - interaction betwixt Unrwa labor and Israeli officials will beryllium banned.

While astir of Unrwa's projects return spot successful Gaza and nan occupied West Bank, it relies connected agreements pinch Israel to operate. This includes moving assistance done checkpoints betwixt Israel and Gaza.

Along pinch nan Palestinian Red Crescent, Unrwa handles almost each assistance distribution successful Gaza done 11 centres crossed nan enclave. It besides provides services to 19 exile camps successful nan West Bank.

Unrwa head William Deere told nan BBC that connected a applicable level, nan prohibition connected interacting pinch Israeli officials meant it would go almost intolerable for nan agency's unit to run successful nan country.

"We won't beryllium capable to move successful Gaza without being taxable to imaginable attack, world unit won't beryllium capable to get visas immoderate longer," he said.

The executive head of nan UN's World Food Programme said without Unrwa's beingness successful Gaza, assistance agencies will beryllium incapable to administer basal nutrient and medicine.

"They do each nan activity connected nan crushed there," Cindy McCain told nan BBC. "We don't person nan contacts. We don't person nan expertise to get to cognize nan contacts, because things are truthful intensely trouble there."