Khaberni - Today, Monday, the Israeli Knesset finally approved a bill to cut off electricity and water to the offices of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees "UNRWA", and it enters into force immediately.
The Israeli army radio said, "The Knesset (Parliament) approved the bill in the second and third readings to cut off electricity and water to UNRWA offices."
The radio added that the vote took place with a majority of 59 out of 120 deputies, against 7 who voted against the bill.
Any bill requires approval in three readings in the Knesset to become enforceable law.
The Knesset ratified the bill last November, and after the vote, it was referred to the Foreign Affairs and Security Committee for preparation for voting in the second and third readings.
During today's voting session, Monday, the Israeli Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, Eli Cohen, tried to justify the decision, claiming that "UNRWA was the executive arm of Hamas."
Cohen added, "An organization that operates as a breeding ground for incitement and murder does not deserve to exist," he claimed.
Cohen also launched an attack on members of the Knesset from Arab parties who opposed the law, describing them as "the fifth column," asserting that "there is no place for them in the Israeli Knesset," as he described.
In October 2024, the Knesset finally endorsed a ban on UNRWA activities in Israel, claiming "some of its staff participated" in the attack of October 7, 2023.
Israel claims that UNRWA staff participated in the "Al-Aqsa Flood" operation, which the agency has repeatedly denied, confirming the United Nations' statement of UNRWA's neutrality.
The decision comes at a time when Palestinians' need for UNRWA's services is increasing, following two years of a genocidal war launched by Israel with American support on the Gaza Strip from October 8, 2023, until the ceasefire took effect on October 10 of the same month.
The Israeli genocidal war on the Gaza Strip left more than 71,000 Palestinian martyrs and over 171,000 wounded, most of them children and women.
Despite the ceasefire on October 10 of last year, the living conditions in Gaza have not improved due to the strict restrictions Israel imposes on the entry of aid trucks, thereby violating the humanitarian protocol of the agreement.
