Blocking UN relief agency - a "disaster" for Palestine, says UN Chief
(VOVWORLD) - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Tuesday that Israel’s draft law aiming to block the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) from operating in the Gaza Strip and West Bank would be a disaster if passed.
 A missile was launched from Iran towards Israel on the evening of April 13, 2024. Photo: IRNA/VNA |
Guterres expressed concern that blocking UNRWA's operations would “stifle” efforts to ease the suffering of people in Gaza and the broader occupied Palestinian territories, a point he also raised with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
UNRWA is a lifeline for millions of Palestinians, providing education, healthcare, and essential aid in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. Since the recent escalation of conflict in Gaza, Israel has intensified calls to dissolve the agency, accusing it of links to Hamas militants. In July 2024, the Israeli parliament passed a draft law designating UNRWA as a terrorist organization.