(29 Oct 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
++STARTS ON SOUNDBITE++
++NIGHT SHOTS++
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jerusalem – 29 October 2024
1. SOUNDBITE (English) Julia Frankel, Associated Press:
"Israel’s parliament Monday night approved two bills that risk severely hampering the work of the UN’s main aid provider to Gaza, known as UNRWA. Now, the first bill bans all UNWRA activities on Israeli soil and the second severs all ties between the agency and the government of Israel."
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Bureij, Salah Al-Deen Street, Central Gaza Strip – 29 October 2024
2. Exterior of closed UNRWA warehouse
3. UNRWA logo on the warehouse door
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jerusalem – 29 October 2024
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Julia Frankel, Associated Press:
"Now, since these bills were passed, the question has become, what will happen to a provision in Gaza where Israel’s offensive has unleashed a massive humanitarian catastrophe. U.N. agencies and rights groups are cautioning that the work of UNWRA really cannot be replaced. It staffs a network of schools and hospitals and cash assistance programs, not just across Gaza, but across the West Bank and East Jerusalem as well. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday night that Israel does not seek to stop the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza and will spend the next three months before the bills take effect, figuring out a way to maintain aid levels and make sure that aid is getting into the (Gaza) Strip."
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Deir Al-Balah, Central Gaza Strip – 29 October 2024
5. Various of bags of flour with UNRWA logo displayed in the street
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jerusalem – 29 October 2024
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Julia Frankel, Associated Press correspondent:
"But in the absence of a clear Israeli plan, it only seems that things will grow more dire in Gaza. Israel already faces increasing pressure from the US to ramp up aid after aid levels dwindled in October."
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Deir Al-Balah, Central Gaza Strip – 29 October 2024
7. Close of flour bag with UNRWA logo displayed in the street
8. Closed UNRWA warehouses in Deir Al-Balah
STORYLINE:
Israeli legislation cutting ties with the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees raised fears that the largest provider of aid to Gaza could be shut out of the war-ravaged territory, even as the implications of the new laws remained unclear on Tuesday.
The agency known as UNRWA provides essential services to millions of Palestinians across the Middle East and has underpinned aid efforts in Gaza throughout the Israel-Hamas war.
Legislation barring it from operating in Israel passed with an overwhelming majority on Monday.
Israel has long accused UNRWA of having been infiltrated by Hamas, allegations denied by UNRWA.
The two newly passed laws are all but certain to hamper UNRWA’s work in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, as Israel controls access to both territories.
But the details of how the legislation would be implemented, and potential workarounds, remain unclear.
It could also face legal challenges.
Either way, the laws could have major consequences for Palestinians in Gaza, who are heavily reliant on emergency food aid more than a year into a war that has killed tens of thousands, displaced 90% of the population of 2.3 million and left much of the territory in ruins.
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