UN Chief Condemns ‘Israel’ for Blocking Water, Power to Palestinian in Gaza
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has sharply condemned Israel’s decision to block electricity and water to facilities of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, warning that the move violates international law and threatens essential services for millions of Palestinians.
Guterres on Wednesday denounced Israel’s move to ban electricity and water to facilities used by UNRWA, saying it would “further impede” the agency’s ability to function.
“The Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations remains applicable to UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East), its property and assets, and to its officials and other personnel. Property used by UNRWA is inviolable,” Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the secretary general, said while describing UNRWA as an “integral” part of the world body.
He emphasized that UNRWA remains legally protected despite Israeli actions.
Israel has banned UNRWA from operating in the occupied territories after accusing some of its staff of being involved in the Al-Aqsa Flood operation in October 2023. Despite repeated requests from UNRWA for the Israeli regime to provide evidence supporting its allegations, the agency has received no response.
UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini also condemned the decision, describing it as part of a systematic campaign to discredit the agency and undermine its role in assisting Palestinian refugees.
He linked the utilities ban to a broader political effort to obstruct UNRWA’s humanitarian mission, which provides education, health care, and aid to millions of Palestinians across the besieged Gaza Strip, the occupied West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.
The escalation follows a 2024 Israeli parliamentary law banning UNRWA from operating in the occupied Palestinian territories and prohibiting Israeli officials from having contact with the agency.
The law effectively ends the UNRWA operations in the occupied West Bank and Gaza because the Israeli regime controls access to both regions.
Relations between Israel and UNRWA, long tense, have deteriorated sharply since the war in Gaza, with Israel repeatedly calling for the agency to be dismantled and its responsibilities transferred elsewhere within the UN system.
The move against UNRWA comes alongside Israel’s suspension of dozens of international non-governmental organizations operating in Gaza, citing new and restrictive vetting requirements.
In response, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom warned in a joint statement that such measures would severely limit access to essential services, including health care.
They also noted that one in three health facilities in Gaza would be forced to shut down if international NGO operations were halted.
The UN agency has faced deepening financial turmoil since Israel launched a defamation campaign against it.