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00:00It's a pair of bills that is expected to seriously curb aid to those still in Gaza.
00:05The United Nations Relief and Works Agency, also known as UNRWA, provides education and
00:10healthcare as well as social and infrastructure services to Palestinian refugees.
00:17It's the most important provider of assistance in Gaza and is in large run by Palestinians
00:22themselves.
00:23However, tensions between Israel and the agency increased following the October 7th attacks.
00:29UNRWA is not a refugee aid agency, it's an aid agency for Hamas.
00:35Israel accuses officials of turning a blind eye to an infiltration of Hamas militants
00:40and that nine of its employees took part in the attacks in the south of the country.
00:45That's a number that the United Nations say may be possible.
00:49Monday's first vote banned the agency from operating inside Israel, meaning that its
00:53workers will no longer be able to access Gaza.
00:57The second bill prohibits Israeli officials from working with UNRWA and labels the agency
01:02as a terror organisation.
01:04That's a decision that the agency's head, Philippe Lazzarini, says will deepen the suffering
01:09of Palestinians and prevent access to education for 650,000 children, putting at risk their
01:17entire generation.
01:21Israel's traditional allies had previously condemned the plans.
01:25They are on the front lines getting humanitarian assistance to the people they need.
01:30There's nobody that can replace them right now in the middle of the crisis and we will
01:35consider next steps based on what happens in the days ahead.
01:39Once presented to the United Nations, the bill will take two to three months to go into
01:43effect.
01:44For more on Israel and its region visit our website at WWW.TV7ISRAELNEWS.COM