Israel plans to cut water, electricity to UNRWA, confiscate Jerusalem properties

Israeli authorities are moving forward with plans to cut off water and electricity to several facilities operated by UNRWA.

MENA

2 min read

The New Arab Staff

12 July, 2025

Children stand for a photo on a street in Askar camp, Nablus, occupied West Bank, on June 21, 2025. The children show resilience and composure after the Israeli military raid. (Photo by Khadija Toufik / Middle East Images via AFP)

Israeli lawmakers are looking to pass a bill that aims to restrict the supply of electricity and water to Gaza and West Bank-based facilities of the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA), Haaretz reported.

The bill, backed by the Energy Ministry and the Ministry of Construction and Housing, outlines seizing two properties in Jerusalem currently controlled by UNRWA.

Israeli authorities have attempted to expel UNRWA from the properties, according to the government-sponsored bill obtained by Haaretz, with warning letters sent to the agency.

The bill calls for the confiscation of land in the occupied East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Ma'alot Dafna and in Kafr 'Aqab, northern Jerusalem, without judicial proceedings.

The newly-submitted legislation aims to further restrict UNRWA’s operations in the occupied Palestinian territories by inflicting further financial harm on the agency, which has faced repeated targeting by Israel since the onset of the Gaza war in October 2023.

The outlet added that the agency continues to pay utility bills for complexes registered in its name, despite the passing of last October's controversial bill banning UNRWA’s operations.

The New Arab previously reported that the UN, which employs over 30,000 people, said it found no evidence to substantiate Israel's allegations that nine UNRWA staff were involved in the October 7 attacks, but confirmed that the organisation had dismissed the staffers.

On Friday, news agency Reuters reported that a strategic review of UNRWA, ordered by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, has identified four potential paths forward for the agency following Israel’s ban and the loss of US funding.

Former president Joe Biden initially paused US funding in January 2024 after Israel accused UNRWA staff of involvement in the 7 October attacks.

The funding freeze was later extended by the US Congress and under current President Donald Trump.

According to Reuters, which saw the proposals, the four options include taking no action and allowing UNRWA’s collapse, reducing services, creating an executive board to advise the agency, or maintaining UNRWA’s core rights-based mandate while transferring service delivery to host governments and the Palestinian Authority.

However, only the 193-member UN General Assembly has the authority to change UNRWA’s mandate.

The agency has defended the significance of its work amid the brutal 21- month Gaza genocide, arguing it is the target of a "fierce disinformation campaign" aimed at portraying it as a 'terrorist' organisation.

Both Guterres and the UN Security Council have described UNRWA as the backbone of the humanitarian aid response in Gaza.