The Geneva Center for Democracy and Human Rights, alongside numerous international entities and human rights organisations, has issued an urgent appeal to halt Israel’s decision to ban the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). The ban threatens to dismantle essential services for millions of Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, and Jerusalem.

This plea has been directed to United Nations bodies in Geneva, special rapporteurs, accredited diplomatic missions, hundreds of organisations across South Africa, Europe, and the Americas, and members of parliaments in Switzerland, Britain, and the European Union. The signing organisations demand swift international intervention to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe, particularly in Gaza, where the population faces what they have termed genocide.

The statement warns that the Israeli ban would force UNRWA to cease operations in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem. It would result in the closure of its offices, freezing of bank accounts, and the inability to deliver critical services such as education, healthcare, and emergency aid to over 5.9 million Palestinian refugees.

Human rights organisations have unanimously affirmed UNRWA’s indispensable role as the backbone of humanitarian efforts in the region. They argue that Israel has no authority to interfere with the agency’s operations, which are mandated and overseen exclusively by the UN General Assembly.

Israel has long sought to dismantle UNRWA, leveraging diplomatic and political means to undermine its operations. Following the events of October 7, 2023, Israel renewed its calls to terminate the agency, alleging that some of its employees were complicit in the attacks—a claim UNRWA categorically denies, emphasising its strict adherence to neutrality.

On October 28, the Israeli Knesset passed legislation to formally ban UNRWA’s activities in the occupied Palestinian territories, effective by the end of January. Palestinians argue that this decision is part of a broader effort to erase the refugee issue and dismantle UNRWA, a lifeline for millions since its establishment in 1949 after the Nakba.

UNRWA’s mandate, renewed by the UN General Assembly, includes providing education, healthcare, social services, and emergency aid to Palestinian refugees until they can return to their homes. Its absence would deepen the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and exacerbate suffering across the Palestinian territories.