Israel has notified the UN  that it is cutting off ties with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees also known as UNRWA.

The organization has been a critical source of humanitarian aid for Palestinians over the last several decades. The move comes as the World Food Programme warns that the crisis in Gaza could soon escalate into famine.

Joining the discussion:

• Yossi Mekelberg is Senior Consulting Fellow for the MENA Programme at Chatham House in London. 
• Abdel Bari Atwan is Editor-in-Chief at Rai al-Youm.  
• Nabeel Khoury is Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Arab Center in Washington DC.
• Trita Parsi is the Executive Vice-President of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.

There is simply no alternative to @UNRWA.

The ban of UNRWA will not make #Israel safer, it will only deepen the suffering of the people of #Gaza and increase the risk of disease outbreaks and other health issues. pic.twitter.com/Jj3iEqj7wy

— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) November 4, 2024

"Palestinians risk being erased from northern Gaza," warns UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territories occupied since 1967, Francesca Albanese, @FranceskAlbs, addressing media at UNHQ. pic.twitter.com/ROP3dkG7sO

— United Nations Geneva (@UNGeneva) November 4, 2024