Norway, UK slam imminent Israeli ban on UNRWA
The top British and Norwegian diplomats have expressed support for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees as Israel plans to enact two laws that ban the organisation from Israeli territory later this month.
In a post on X, the Norwegian Foreign Ministry said Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide met UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini and expressed his gratitude and firm support for the agency.
“UNRWA is the backbone of all humanitarian work in Palestine, for securing education & health for Palestine refugees until a just political solution. Banning @UNRWA is an unprecedented attack on the UN,” the ministry said.
Facing Israeli ban, UNRWA will ‘stay and deliver’ in Gaza
Within two weeks, Israeli ban on UNRWA, the main lifeline for aid to Palestinians, will come into force, affecting its work in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
The severance of communication between UNRWA and Israeli authorities due to the ban will amplify the risks and challenges the agency faces in Gaza, said the agency’s chief, Philippe Lazzarini.
Nevertheless, UNRWA will “stay and deliver” in Gaza, he said. At great personal risk, “UNRWA’s local staff will remain and continue to provide emergency assistance and where possible, education and primary healthcare.”
With no visas, UNRWA’s non-Palestinian employees will not be able to enter Gaza and those there now will have to leave, he explained.
‘Killing of children must stop now’: UNICEF MENA
The UN children’s fund’s (UNICEF’s) branch for the Middle East and North Africa has released a statement calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
The organisation notes that more than 120 children have already reportedly been killed in the territory this year, with risks to children escalating over the last three days.
“The killing of children must stop. Not tomorrow, not next week, NOW,” said UNICEF MENA.
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