The international staff of the United Nations’ Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) have had to evacuate and relocate to Jordan, its officials said as Israeli legislation banning it came into effect on Thursday.
The UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres, and the body’s Security Council have described UNRWA as the “backbone of humanitarian aid” in the Strip, which has been devastated by a ruinous 15-month war between Israel and Hamas. Israeli officials, however, have repeatedly accused UNRWA of “bankrolling its enemies” and having ties to terrorism, a charge that the agency and UN officials have vehemently denied.
