UN: UNRWA continues to operate despite Israeli sanctions

The United Nations has announced that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) will continue its activities despite restrictions imposed by the Israeli regime.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told a press conference: "We are in contact with our UNRWA counterparts in the West Asia region, and they continue to fulfill their mandate and provide services."

Dujarric said UNRWA clinics in East Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank remain open, and humanitarian assistance operations are continuing in Gaza.

The UN official stressed: "UNRWA is determined to remain in the area and carry out its mandate, which is why the UN flag is still flying above the agency's buildings."

On Thursday, January 30, Israel began implementing the administration's cabinet decision to suspend the activities of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the occupied territories and East Jerusalem.

The illegal Israeli regime has justified its action by raising baseless allegations that some UNRWA staff participated in Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the Zionist settler neighborhoods and military camps of the regime on October 7, 2023. So far, Israel has failed to prove these allegations. 

The United Nations has stressed that UNRWA will continue to respect the principle of neutrality and its commitment to continuing its humanitarian activities and opposing the prohibition of Israeli occupation.