ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday condemned Israel’s decision to ban the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) from operating in the occupied Palestinian territories, urging the international community to hold the administration in Tel Aviv accountable for violating international law and the United Nations Charter.
UNRWA was established in 1949 to provide education, health care and other services to Palestinian refugees and has long been a target of Israeli criticism. Since October 2023, Israel has accused it of facilitating Hamas activities, leading to its ban earlier this week on Monday.
The decision coincides with the deaths of nearly 180 UNRWA staff members in the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip, part of a broader toll of over 220 humanitarian workers killed. The situation has drawn global condemnation, with UN officials highlighting the unprecedented loss of life among aid workers.
“Strongly condemn Israel’s actions aimed at obstructing UNRWA’s operations inside the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” Sharif wrote on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
“By preventing critical relief assistance from reaching millions of helpless Palestinians, Israel is committing yet another blatant violation of international humanitarian law and the @UN Charter for which it must be held accountable by the international community,” he added.
A day earlier, Pakistan’s top diplomat at the UN also raised the issue at the world body, calling the UN agency “irreplaceable” due to its vital role in serving millions of Palestinians.
“The passage of the bills by Israeli parliament concerning UNRWA is further evidence that Israel is doubling down on its genocidal war against Palestinians by cutting off the lifeline for the Palestinians provided by UNRWA and other UN entities,” Ambassador Munir Akram said, according to an official statement released by Pakistan’s diplomatic mission.
Palestinians walk outside a health center run by United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Deir Al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip on October 29, 2024. (REUTERS)
Nearly two million people in Gaza rely on the agency for aid, with about one million using its shelters for food and health care in the enclave. The agency has provided Palestinians with everything from food and health care to education and psychological support for decades.
“Any effort to diminish its role will have severe humanitarian and regional consequences,” Akram added.
An injured man reacts while sitting on the rubble of a building hit by an Israeli strike in Beit Lahia, in the northern Gaza Strip, on October 29, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
