On Monday, Israel formally notified the United Nations of its intention to sever all ties with the UN relief agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa), the organisation that coordinates much of the delivery of aid within Gaza.
It follows the Israeli parliament’s vote last week to ban Unrwa from operating in Israel and Palestinian territories and prohibiting all Israeli state contact with the agency.
The new laws followed allegations that members of Unwra participated in the 7 October Hamas attacks.
The ban is not set to take effect for another three months but Israel has already contacted the UN secretary general officially withdrawing itself from a 1967 co-operation agreement with Unrwa.
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John Whyte, an Irish aid worker who us Unrwa’s head of projects and currently based in Gaza, joins In The News to discuss the consequences of this ban for Palestinians and whether the agency can continue to operate without Israeli co-operation.
Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.
