Israel bans UN agency from operating in Gaza and East Jerusalem, raising aid concerns
Summary: Israel's parliament has passed laws banning the UN's Palestinian refugee agency, Unrwa, from operating in Israel and East Jerusalem within three months. This move restricts Unrwa's ability to provide aid in Gaza and the West Bank.
The legislation also removes legal immunity for Unrwa staff in Israel and closes its headquarters in East Jerusalem. Many Western governments, including the US and UK, have expressed concern, citing potential humanitarian impacts on Gaza's population, which relies heavily on Unrwa for aid.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Unrwa must be held accountable for alleged ties to terrorism but emphasized the need for humanitarian aid in Gaza. The laws reflect Israel's long-standing opposition to Unrwa, which it accuses of collusion with Hamas.
This is article metrics. Combined, they form a significance score, that indicates how important the news is on a scale from 0 to 10.
My algorithm scores 10,000 news articles daily, and creates a single significance-ordered list of news.
Read more about how I calculate significance, or see today's top ranked news on the main page:
See today's news rankings