America News Agency

Contact between UNRWA staff and Israeli officials will also be prohibited, and the agency's ability to operate in Gaza and the West Bank will be severely restricted.

UNRWA personnel will no longer have legal immunity in Israel, and the agency's headquarters in East Jerusalem will be closed.

UNRWA is the only organization capable of delivering aid to war-torn areas and is the primary UN agency operating on the ground in the region.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated that implementing the laws "would harm the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and peace and security across the region," while UNRWA’s head Philippe Lazzarini said it "would only deepen the suffering of Palestinians."

Several countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany, have voiced serious concerns over this move.

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy called it "completely wrong," while Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the laws render "UNRWA's vital work for Palestinians impossible, endangering all international humanitarian intervention in Gaza."

The US State Department stated that UNRWA plays a "critical" role in distributing humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip, where nearly the entire population of over two million depends on the agency's assistance and services.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, "UNRWA employees involved in terrorist activities against Israel must be held accountable," but added that "continuous humanitarian aid in Gaza must be available."

"We are ready to work with our international partners to ensure the continued provision of humanitarian aid to Gaza's civilians," he said.