Israel Lodges Proposal With UN for Dismantling of Palestinian Relief Agency – According to sources within the United Nations, Israel has submitted a proposal to dismantle Unrwa, its humanitarian agency operating in the Palestinian territories. The proposal suggests transferring Unrwa staff to a new agency tasked with facilitating large-scale food deliveries to Gaza.
The proposal, presented by Israeli Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, was relayed to UN officials in Israel last week. These officials then forwarded it to UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Saturday, as per sources familiar with the discussions.
Unrwa did not participate in the talks, as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have declined to engage with the agency since the previous Monday. This reluctance stems from allegations, yet to be substantiated, of some Unrwa staff members having ties to Hamas or Islamic Jihad.
Israel maintains its readiness to facilitate substantial aid shipments into Gaza, attributing any limitations to the capacity of the United Nations (UN). However, its refusal to cooperate with Unrwa significantly impacts this capacity. According to recent proposals, an initial transfer of 300 to 400 Unrwa personnel would occur, either to another UN entity like the World Food Programme (WFP) or to a newly established organization dedicated to distributing food assistance in Gaza.
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Further transfers of Unrwa staff and assets are anticipated in subsequent phases, although specifics regarding the management of any new agency or the provision of security for aid deliveries remain unclear. Despite being the primary humanitarian presence in the territory since 1950, Unrwa has been excluded from discussions regarding its future role and existence.
“Unrwa has not been systematically privy to conversations related to coordinating humanitarian aid in Gaza,” said the organisation’s director of external relations, Tamara Alrifai. Some UN officials see the Israeli plan as an attempt to portray the UN as unwilling to cooperate if there is famine in Gaza, which humanitarian organisations have warned is impending.
On Thursday the international court of justice, which is examining genocide charges against Israel, ordered the Israeli government to take “all necessary and effective measures” to ensure the large-scale delivery of aid to Gaza “in full cooperation with the United Nations”. Within the United Nations, as well as among other aid organizations and human rights groups, there is a perception that the Israeli proposal represents the culmination of a protracted Israeli effort to dismantle Unrwa.
“If we allow this, it is the slippery slope to us being completely managed directly by the Israelis, and the UN directly being complicit in undermining Unrwa, which is not only the biggest aid provider but also the biggest bastion of anti-extremism in Gaza,” one UN official said. “We would be playing into so many political agendas if we allowed this to happen.”
Alrifai said the small size of the proposed new aid distribution entity would hobble its ability to effectively deliver aid in Gaza at a time when the need was greatest. “This is no criticism of WFP, but logically if they were to start food distribution in Gaza tomorrow, they’re going to use Unrwa trucks and bring food into Unrwa warehouses, and then distribute food in or around Unrwa shelters,” she said.
“So they’re going to need at a minimum the same infrastructure that we have, including the human resources.” Unrwa stands out as the largest aid organization in Gaza, boasting a workforce of 13,000 employees at the onset of the conflict, with 3,000 still actively engaged in their roles. Additionally, tens of thousands more are employed across the West Bank and other parts of the Middle East.
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Apart from its primary task of distributing food aid, the agency serves as a significant employer in Gaza, offering vital educational and medical services at a time when healthcare infrastructure in the enclave is deteriorating. “It’s not just food. We have seven healthcare centres now running in Gaza, we give 23,000 consultations every day, and we have administered 53,000 vaccines since the war started. So that in itself is an entire field that no other agency right now can offer,” Alrifai said.
“It’s great that we’re focusing on food because of the famine, and we are raising the alarm about malnutrition, but Unrwa is so much more than food distribution.” Israel has asserted that up to 11% of Unrwa employees have ties to Hamas or Islamic Jihad, with around 30 allegedly involved in the October 7 attack on Israel, resulting in 1,200 casualties. However, Israel has not yet presented evidence for these claims.
However, 16 major donors suspended $450 million in funding, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where 2.3 million people face famine. Although the US Congress passed a spending bill blocking future US aid to Unrwa, other donors have resumed funding following UN inquiries. One investigation, initiated by Israel’s allegations, has yet to receive evidence but remains hopeful for cooperation.
The second inquiry, led by former French foreign minister Catherine Colonna and backed by three Nordic research agencies, aims to assess the overall integrity of the agency. An interim report by the Colonna inquiry on 20 March said Unrwa had a “significant number of mechanisms and procedures” to ensure its neutrality but that critical areas still needed to be addressed.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) ceased collaboration with Unrwa while Australia, Canada, Sweden, Finland, and Japan announced their intention to resume funding for the agency. Instead, the Israeli military has expressed interest in cooperating with alternative organizations like the WFP. Behind closed doors at the UN, the United States has backed Israel’s push to integrate Unrwa’s responsibilities into other agencies.
However, diplomats in New York revealed that this endeavor has faced opposition from other donors and Secretary-General Guterres, who has previously been staunch in his support for Unrwa. “We must strive to keep the one-of-a-kind services that Unrwa provides flowing, because that keeps hope flowing,” the secretary general said on a visit to a refugee camp in Jordan last week, adding that it would be “cruel and incomprehensible” to stop Unrwa services to Palestinians.
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Unrwa’s authority stems from the UN General Assembly, which theoretically holds the sole power to determine the agency’s destiny. Certain UN aid officials contend that only Unrwa possesses the necessary resources and garners the trust of everyday Palestinians to effectively distribute food assistance in Gaza. They argue that attempting to reconstruct an aid organization for political motives in response to Israeli pressures, especially amidst bombardment and the looming threat of famine, could lead to catastrophic outcomes.
“It is outrageous that UN agencies like WFP and senior UN officials are engaging in discussions about dismantling Unrwa,” said Chris Gunness, a former Unrwa spokesperson. “The general assembly gives Unrwa its mandate and only the general assembly can change it, not the secretary general and certainly not a single member state.”
