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The Palestinian Relief Agency for the United Nations said that its humanitarian action across the occupied territories and is still Gaza on Friday, despite the Israeli embargo, which started day before and what it described as hostility towards its employees.
The Israeli law, which was adopted in October, banned operations by the United Nations Relief and Employment Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) on Israeli soil – including East Jerusalem attached – and contact with the Israeli authorities starting on Thursday.
On Friday, Britain, France and Germany repeated their concern about the new law, which humanitarian agencies say will have a major impact on the devastating Gaza as the employees provide a crossing to the Palestinian enclave across Israel.
“We continue to provide services,” Juliet Touma, UNRWA’s contact director, told a press conference in Geneva.
“In Gaza, UNRWA is still the backbone of the international humanitarian response. We still have international employees in Gaza, and we continue to bring trucks of basic supplies.”
She said that any disturbances in her work in Gaza will put a ceasefire deal that stopped the war between Israel and Hamas at risk.
She said: “If UNRWA is not allowed to continue to bring supplies and distribute them, the fate of a very fragile shooting will be in danger and will be in danger.”
Employees in the West Bank, East Jerusalem
Tens of thousands of Palestinian refugees in occupied East Jerusalem – who have not been recognized by Israel at the international level – also receives education, health care and other services from UNRWA.
Toma said that her Palestinian employees in the West Bank and East Jerusalem are facing difficulties, citing examples of stone throwing and users at checkpoints and protests in their positions, and blamed “Israeli extremists.”
She said, “They are facing an exceptional hostile environment with the continued campaign of fierce misleading against UNRWA.” “It was a truly harsh journey that was not easy. Our employees were not protected.”
Watch | The Palestinians interact with the ban on the ban:
Israel has officially informed the United Nations that it canceled the agreement that regulates its relations with the main relief of the United Nations Palestinian Refugee, UNRWA, since 1967.
The Israeli demonstrators sabotaged the United Nations brand on Thursday outside one of its vehicles by spraying in the blue star spray for David, according to the common images touma with Reuters.
She added that international employees have already left after their visas ended. The agency reported more than 270 of its employees who were killed in the Gaza war for 15 months and called for investigations.
Israel has always criticized UNRWA, claiming that its employees were involved on October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel, which sparked the Gaza war. The United Nations said that nine employees in UNRWA may be involved and separated.
Humanitarian aid flows
The ceasefire deal allowed the increase in humanitarian aid and was able to release the Israeli hostages in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons.
Before the agreement, experts warned of imminent famine in parts of northern Gaza. Since then, the supplies have risen, and the World Food Program said that more than 32,000 tons of food have entered Gaza since the January 19 deal entered into force.
In the same briefing, Dr. Rick Biberkorn of the World Health Organization said that about 12,000 to 14,000 patients are waiting to be evacuated from Gaza through the Rafah crossing. Fifty is scheduled to be transferred on Saturday amid warnings that some children may die.
He added that these will be the first medical evacuation through its rack since its closure in May last year.
He said that the evacuation “must resume urgently and the medical corridor should open.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon said that Israel is committed to facilitating humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, saying that aid should pass through international agencies and other NGOs.
He said in a statement, “Humanitarian aid is not equal to UNRWA and those who want to support the effort of humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip must invest their resources in the alternative organizations of UNRWA,” he said in a statement.
“We will adhere to the law and continue to facilitate humanitarian aid.”
