The UN's Palestine organization Unrwa is banned in Israel, which makes it practically impossible for the organization to operate in the occupied territories.
Instead, Israel claims that the organization can be replaced by other UN agencies, something that Unrwa chief Philippe Lazzarini rejects. This is because other organizations cannot replace Unrwa's work of "state-like services" such as education and healthcare.
If you deprive 100,000 girls and boys in Gaza of education... I would say that we are only sowing the seeds of more extremism, he says.
Following allegations that Unrwa staff participated in the terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, Israel decided to ban the organization from operating on Israeli territory.
This led to several countries temporarily stopping their support for the organization.
Unrwa provides millions of Palestinians in, among other places, Gaza, Jordan, and Lebanon with education, healthcare, and economic assistance.
