Israel blocks Unrwa: Humanitarian crisis escalated in the Gaza Strip!

Israel blocks Unrwa: Humanitarian crisis escalated in the Gaza Strip!

Gazastreifen, Palästina - Israel has decided to boycott the upcoming hearings in front of the International Court of Justice (IGH). This is done in connection with an expert opinion that the UN General Assembly commissioned to clarify Israel's obligations as an occupation power with regard to international humanitarian aid. The Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen sees this procedure an attempt to pursue Israel and undermine his right to self -defense. Cohen also criticized the unilateral attitude of the United Nations towards Israel and emphasized that no other country was brought before the IGH as often as Israel.

According to Israel, the Unrwa (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) employs more than 1,400 known terrorists, some of which were involved in the massacre in Israel on October 7, 2023. In January 2023, Israel imposed a ban on work for Unrwa, which the organization ignored and continued its activities. Foreign Minister Cohen accused Hamas of confiscating and selling relief supplies to the civilian population at overpriced prices, which led to a drastic deterioration in the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip

Humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip

The UN describes the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip as the most difficult since the beginning of the war more than one and a half years ago. Since the beginning of March 2023, all border crossings for aid deliveries have been closed to put pressure on the Hamas and force the return of kidnapped hostages. More than two million people in the Gaza Strip are dependent on the support of Unrwa, which with their work now faces enormous challenges.

Unrwa, founded in 1946, plays a central role in the care of the Palestinian population with vital goods and services. It is also one of the largest employers for Palestinians with around 13,000 employees. The head of Unrwa, Philippe Lazzarini, warned that Israel's ban on the suffering of the Palestinians could increase and mean a factual collapse of humanitarian work.

Criticism of the ban and international reactions

The Israeli parliament has found that NRENWA may no longer be active in Israeli territory from next year. This decision could further deteriorate the humanitarian situation, since Israel can control the border crossings and thus influence aid deliveries directly. Critics, including UN General Secretary Antonio Guterres, classified the decision as questionable and pointed out the unrevidable consequences for the Palestinian population.

Germany and other Veto powers of the United Nations have criticized the measure as a dangerous precedent. In recent years, Unrwa employees have repeatedly been blamed, but they were invalidated in an independent expert report in April 2024. Nevertheless, there is a broad support for the ban in the Israeli population, since many perceive the organization as hostile and find the special status of Unrwa problematic.