**Israel Severes Ties with UNRWA Amid Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza**

Israel has officially informed the United Nations of its decision to end its relations with the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, intensifying the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Monday the cancellation of a 1967 cooperation agreement that established legal relations between the country and UNRWA.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz strongly criticized UNRWA, citing involvement in an October 7 attack and alleging that many of its employees are connected to Hamas. "UNRWA - the organization whose employees participated in the October 7 massacre and many of whose employees are Hamas operatives - is part of the problem in the Gaza Strip and not part of the solution," Katz stated.

Recently, the Israeli parliament passed two controversial bills that ban UNRWA from operating within Israeli territory. This legislative move will close UNRWA premises in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza. Israel claims that Hamas fighters have infiltrated UNRWA, although the UN agency denies these allegations and maintains it takes steps to ensure its neutrality.

UNRWA has warned that the ban on its operations will likely result in the collapse of humanitarian efforts in Gaza. Jonathan Fowler, a spokesperson for UNRWA, emphasized that the organization is central to providing essential services such as education, healthcare, and other basic needs to nearly six million Palestinian refugees and their descendants, who form the majority of Gaza's 2.3 million population.

Amid this unfolding crisis, the World Food Programme (WFP) has also raised alarms about an impending famine in Gaza, exacerbated by Israeli military actions that severely restrict the entry of food and supplies into the enclave. Martin Frick of the WFP Berlin office has stated that other UN agencies cannot replace the critical functions of UNRWA, such as running emergency shelters, schools, and health centers.

In January, Israel accused over a dozen UNRWA staff members of participating in a Hamas-led attack that resulted in over 1,100 Israeli casualties, mostly civilians, and around 250 captives. Following this incident, Israel's military campaign in Gaza has resulted in over 43,000 deaths and widespread displacement of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents.

The UN conducted an investigation into Israel's accusations, which led to the termination of nine UNRWA staff contracts. Despite further claims in July that an additional 100 UNRWA employees were linked to Hamas, the UN agency has received no further information from Israel to substantiate these allegations.

UN officials have highlighted that over the past year, Israeli forces have killed more than 130 UN workers in Gaza – marking the highest death toll of the UN staff in any conflict to date. This dire humanitarian scenario underlines the critical need for continued support and solutions to aid the besieged population in Gaza.