Gaza horrors still ‘not enough’ for world to act, UNRWA says

“In the past there was this feeling that at some point this would reach a level in which the world would just say ‘this is enough,’” he said. “But they’ve not been. They’ve not been enough for the world.”

On Monday, Israel’s parliament approved two bills banning UNRWA from operating within its borders and designating it as a terrorist organization. Several governments and leaders around the world condemned the move, calling it “illegal” and reiterating their support for the organization.

The new legislation prohibits the agency’s services in Israel, which will severely impact its activities in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, though it is still able to operate in the Palestinian territories. Once implemented, the law will block humanitarian aid routes, shut down the East Jerusalem office and restrict entry and work permits for UNRWA staff.

Since the start of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza in October 2023, civilian life in Gaza has been almost totally destroyed, researchers at Forensic Architecture found. Famine persists across the enclave, with 90 percent of the population facing critical hunger levels. The death toll has now reached over 43,000, Gaza’s health ministry reported Monday.

UNRWA is the largest U.N. organization in the Gaza Strip, with over 13,000 employees tasked with delivering education, health and mental health care, relief and social services, and emergency assistance to displaced Palestinians. Over 1 million Palestine refugees out of a total population of 1.4 million are reliant on its food assistance, the agency says.

“Maybe it’s just too complicated, too much of a nightmare,” said Rose, who is based in Gaza, speaking to POLITICO before the ban took place. “It just kind of amazes me … that there’s nothing anyone can do,” he said, in reference to the dire humanitarian situation across the enclave.