The United Nations has said it is not responsible for replacing its Palestinian relief agency, UNRWA, in Gaza and the West Bank following Israel’s decision to sever ties with the organisation.
In a formal letter, Earle Courtenay Rattray, Chief of Staff to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, addressed Israel’s recent move, which UNRWA warns could jeopardise its ability to operate in these territories.
The decision follows a new Israeli law, which was communicated to the U.N. on Sunday, ending a longstanding 1967 cooperation agreement with UNRWA. The agreement had provided for the agency’s protection, movement, and diplomatic immunity in the region. Under the law, UNRWA’s activities within Israel will be prohibited from late January.
The U.N. continues to regard Gaza and the West Bank as Israeli-occupied territories. According to international humanitarian law, occupying powers are required to support relief operations for civilians, facilitating them “by all the means at its disposal” to ensure adequate food, medical care, sanitation, and public health.
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