UN Security Council expresses ‘grave concern’ over Israel’s UNRWA ban

Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief

Members of the United Nations Security Council attend a meeting on the situation in the Middle East, on October 16, 2024 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images/AFP)
Members of the United Nations Security Council attend a meeting on the situation in the Middle East, on October 16, 2024 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images/AFP)

UN Security Council members unanimously express “grave concern” over the Knesset’s approval of legislation banning UNRWA from operating in Israel and severely curbing its operations in Gaza and the West Bank.

The joint statement signed by all 15 members, including the US, is not binding but does represent quickly growing international pressure against Israel over the decision to target UNRWA. Jerusalem notes that several of its members participated in Hamas’s October 7 onslaught and says roughly 1,000 of its staffers have ties to Hamas.

The statement says the UNSC members emphasized UNRWA’s vital role in providing aid to Palestinians, particularly in Gaza where it “remains the backbone of all humanitarian response” and that no agency has the capacity to replace UNRWA in the middle of the war.

Security Council members note the investigations carried out into misconduct within UNRWA, welcome unspecified reforms they say the agency has carried out, and urge it to continue taking such steps.

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