4 days ago · Last October, the Israeli parliament, known as the Knesset, passed two laws that called for ending UNRWA’s operations in its territory and prohibiting Israeli authorities from having any contact with the agency. Israel ordered UNRWA to vacate all premises in occupied East Jerusalem and cease operations in them by 30 January of this year.

4 days ago · In Jerusalem, the immediate reaction is confusion . UNRWA officials and Israeli authorities have said the ban aims to put an end to the agency’s work in east Jerusalem — which Palestinians claim for their future state and which Israel annexed after the 1967 Mideast war in a move not recognized by much of the international community.

5 days ago · Shutting down the headquarters “will impact everything that we are able to do,” Jonathan Fowler, UNRWA’s senior communications manager, said from the east Jerusalem compound. The agency provides a vast sweep of basic services to 1.1 million Palestinians in the West Bank and 2 million in Gaza.

5 days ago · An agreement in 1967 between Israel and UNRWA recognised the UN Palestine relief agency and its General Assembly-mandated tasks serving Gaza, East Jerusalem and the West Bank. With the new legislation that, in effect, cancels that agreement, Israel continues to be responsible as the occupying power, including for all public services.

6 days ago · UNRWA says it needs $1.7bn to address the most critical humanitarian needs of 1.9 million people in Gaza and 275,000 people in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. This includes:

5 days ago · UNRWA will also be forced to close its West Bank headquarters operating in Jerusalem since the 1950s. Many of the staff members have already left, according to Ms. Touma, who said it’s, “one ...

Oct 29, 2024 · Israel's parliament voted on Monday evening to ban the UN's Palestinian refugee agency (Unrwa) from operating within Israel and occupied East Jerusalem. Contact between Unrwa employees and...

Jan 28, 2025 · The law prohibits UNRWA from functioning in sovereign Israeli territory, which under Israeli law includes East Jerusalem, and prohibits state agencies from having any contact with UNRWA or its ...

May 10, 2024 · The United Nations’ agency for Palestinian refugees will shutter its East Jerusalem headquarters after the compound was set on fire by “Israeli extremists” while staff were inside, its chief ...

Oct 28, 2024 · “Reports circulating in some media that UNRWA is evacuating its premises in occupied East Jerusalem are grossly inaccurate. “UNRWA maintains its operations in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem and in …