What does UNRWA do and why has Israel banned it from West Bank, Gaza?

The Israeli Knesset has passed a bill banning UNRWA from operating in Israel and another that will likely scale back aid distribution across war-ravaged Gaza.

UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) supports Palestinian refugees in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, as well as surrounding countries.

The Knesset passed the laws on Monday despite strong international condemnation.

So what are in the bills and what activities is UNRWA responsible for in the Palestinian territory?

In the Amari refugee camp in Ramallah, UNRWA is responsible for providing and running schools, healthcare facilities and social services [File: Issam Rimawi/Anadolu via Getty Images]

What will the bills do?

One bill makes it illegal for Israeli officials to have any contact with UNRWA. The second prohibits UNRWA from conducting activities within Israel’s borders – a rule that will come into effect in three months.

This will make it impossible for the agency to obtain any entrance permits to operate in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip – both of which are under Israeli control.

It will also make it impossible for the agency to transport assistance through Israeli territory to Palestinians in need.

Why is Israel passing these bills?

This is not the first time UNRWA has come under pressure from Israeli authorities.

In January, Israeli authorities accused UN workers of participating in the October 7, 2023, attacks on southern Israel. This resulted in countries cutting funding to UNRWA, including Australia, Austria, Britain, Canada, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Romania, Switzerland and the United States.

After a UN oversight body investigated UNRWA staff involvement in the attacks, nine UNRWA staff members were fired in August.

At the time, UN spokesperson Farhan Haq stated: “We have sufficient information … to take the actions that we’re taking – which is to say, the termination of these nine individuals.”

Most countries have since restored funding to UNRWA.

Palestinian children protest for UNRWA services in front of the agency’s headquarters in the Askar refugee camp in Nablus, West Bank, in 2023 [Nasser Ishtayeh/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images]

What is UNRWA?

UNRWA is the main humanitarian organisation in Gaza and the West Bank and also operates in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.

It was established by the UN General Assembly in 1949 after the 1948 Nakba to protect and assist Palestinians ethnically cleansed from their homes.

It became operational on May 1, 1950, and since then has helped generations of refugees, many of whom still live in camps.

It provides education, healthcare, social services and emergency relief to people living in refugee camps in the Palestinian territory, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.

How many people does it serve?

In the past 70 years, roughly six million Palestinians have relied on UNRWA’s support.

According to UNRWA’s website: “In 2021, almost 545,000 children were enrolled in UNRWA schools (2021-2022 school year); Social Safety Net Programme assistance reached 398,044 beneficiaries; and 1.7 million received life-saving humanitarian assistance.”

What services does it offer Palestinians?

UNRWA delivers crucial humanitarian aid and protection to millions of registered Palestinian refugees.

Aside from emergency relief and year-round assistance that the impoverished population needs to survive, UNRWA offers primary healthcare and mental health support.

Its services also include schools where more than half a million children were studying before Israel launched its war on Gaza on October 7, 2023.

Among the projects it oversees, UNRWA also tries to provide employment opportunities, microfinance programmes and support to Palestinians who want to develop income-generating initiatives

Many UNRWA operations are in Palestinian refugee camps, but it does not build, own or operate any camps, and it provides humanitarian services both in and outside camps, to any Palestinian in need.

What healthcare facilities does UNRWA oversee?

UNRWA clinics see about 8.5 million patient visits a year to 144 healthcare centres.

It also employs more than 3,300 healthcare staff, which makes it a significant employer in the Palestinian health sector.

UNRWA’s social services programmes include schemes from helping women enter the workforce to supporting people with disabilities.

It runs several skills training programmes, both vocational and professional.

Much in the same vein of its employment of Palestinians in the healthcare sector, UNRWA itself provides employment opportunities to the Palestinians who staff its centres, which offer things from training women in traditional crafts, sewing, knitting and embroidery to physical rehabilitation centres for injured Palestinians or Palestinians living with a disability.