The Israeli parliament took a hard-line step against Palestinian aid efforts - passing laws that cut-off ties with UNRWA (a major UN refugee agency) just yesterday.
This UN organization which helps millions of Palestinians in the Middle-east faces serious problems now: its blocked from working in Israel. The vote wasnt even close with most lawmakers supporting these new rules.
UNRWA does lots of important stuff in Gaza (where fighting has been going on for almost a year now):
- Gives food and basic supplies
- Runs schools and health centers
- Takes care of refugee camps
- Manages emergency help during war-time
Benjamin Netanyahuʼs government says theres proof that UNRWA lets Hamas militants: steal aid‚ use its buildings for cover‚ and mix with its workers. The agency strongly disagrees with these ideas; saying its neutral and fixes any worker-related issues fast
The real-world effects of these new laws are still not clear but aid-experts worry that getting help to Gaza might become way harder. UNRWA which has been the biggest helper for Palestinians since decades ago could find its job much more difficult now