Israeli Knesset officially passes law to cut electricity and water to UNRWA offices in Al-Quds

According to Israel’s Army Radio, the Knesset approved the bill in its second and third readings, with 59 out of 120 members voting in favor and only 7 opposing.

To become binding, any bill in the Knesset must pass through three readings. The Knesset initially approved the draft law in November 2024 and later referred it to the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee to prepare it for final approval.

During the vote, Zionist regime’s Minister of Energy and Infrastructure Eli Cohen attempted to justify the move, falsely claiming that “UNRWA was the operational arm of Hamas” and arguing that “an organization that serves as a breeding ground for incitement and murder has no right to exist.”

Cohen also launched an attack on Arab party members who opposed the bill, labeling them the “fifth column” and asserting they have “no place in the Israeli Knesset.”

In October 2024, the Knesset also finalized legislation to ban UNRWA’s operations in Israel, citing accusations that some staff allegedly participated in the October 7, 2023 attacks—claims the agency has repeatedly denied, reaffirming its commitment to neutrality, which the UN has also confirmed.

The decision comes at a time when Palestinian reliance on UNRWA’s services has become more critical than ever, following two years of an Israeli genocide campaign on Gaza, supported by the US, that began on October 8, 2023 and lasted until a ceasefire took effect on October 10, 2025.

Zionist regime’s genocidal war on Gaza has left over 71,000 Palestinians dead and more than 171,000 injured, most of them women and children.

Despite the ceasefire, the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire due to Zionist regime’s ongoing restrictions on aid truck entries, in violation of the humanitarian provisions of the ceasefire agreement.