As the world's attention was drawn to the release of hostages and prisoners on Thursday, Israel's ban on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has now come into effect, impacting the lives of millions of Palestinians who rely on its services for sustenance, education, and livelihoods.
Iman Helles, a displaced mother living in a UNRWA-run facility in Gaza with her three children, expressed deep concerns about the ban potentially leaving them homeless. Following the destruction of their home in Gaza City's eastern Shejaiya district during the war, Helles and her family sought refuge in a former girls' elementary school now serving as a shelter managed by UNRWA in central Gaza's Deir al-Balah.
