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Israel to ban UN aid agency, citing a few staffers' role in October 7 attack

The ban vote came on the same day Israeli tanks thrust deeper into northern Gaza, trapping 100,000 civilians

Published: Tue 29 Oct 2024, 8:40 AM

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  • Reuters

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Photo: AFP file

Photo: AFP file

Israel's parliament passed a law on Monday to ban the UN relief agency UNRWA from operating inside the country, alarming some of Israel's Western allies who fear it will worsen the already dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Israeli officials cited the involvement of a handful of the agency's thousands of staffers in the October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel and a few staffers' membership in Hamas and other armed groups.

"UNRWA workers involved in terrorist activities against Israel must be held accountable," Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

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Hamas' 2023 attack killed 1,200 people and resulted in more than 250 hostages being taken into Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.

The head of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, said the vote opposes the UN charter and violates international law. "This is the latest in the ongoing campaign to discredit UNRWA and delegitimize its role towards providing human-development assistance and services to Palestine Refugees," he wrote on X.

Trapped civilians

The vote came on the same day Israeli tanks thrust deeper into northern Gaza, trapping 100,000 civilians, the Palestinian emergency service said, in what Israel's military said were operations to eliminate regrouping Hamas militants.

The Israeli military said soldiers captured around 100 suspected militants in a raid on a hospital in the Jabalia camp. Hamas and medics have denied any militant presence at the hospital.

The Gaza Strip's health ministry said at least 19 people were killed by Israeli airstrikes and bombardment on Monday.

The Palestinian Civil Emergency Service said around 100,000 people were marooned in Jabalia, Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun without medical or food supplies.

The emergency service said its operations had come to a halt because of the three-week Israeli assault into northern Gaza, where Israel had said it wiped out Hamas combat forces earlier in the year-long war.

The death toll from Israel's retaliatory air and ground onslaught in Gaza has reached 43,020, the Gaza health ministry said on Monday.

Israel has repeatedly said the war will go on until Hamas is eradicated while the movement has ruled out any end to fighting until Israeli forces leave Gaza.

Gaza's war has kindled wider conflict in the Middle East, raising concern about global oil supplies, with Israel bombing Lebanon and sending forces into its south to disable Iran-backed Hezbollah, a Hamas ally.

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