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\t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the terms<\/a><\/p>\n In response to an inquiry from The Times of Israel, police confirmed the closure and accused the clinic of breaking the law.<\/p>\n \u201cThe facility in Jerusalem was closed for 30 days due to unlawful activity, in accordance with the law and following a lawful enforcement process,\u201d the police statement said.<\/p>\n \t The statement did not detail which laws the clinic had broken, but its closure comes more than a year after Israel passed laws in October 2024 barring the agency from operating in Israeli territory and curtailing its activities in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank by banning state authorities from having any contact with it. The legislation cutting off water and electricity passed<\/a> late last month.<\/p>\n According to WAFA, the clinic, which has been operational for decades, serves 30,000 people, and provides primary care to children and pregnant women plus a dental clinic, emergency services and other departments. It is the main source of health care for many locals, UNRWA says.<\/p>\n \u201cFor most of them,\u202fit\u2019s\u202ftheir only possibility of having access to primary healthcare,\u201d UNRWA spokesman Jonathan Fowler said, according to the UN.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cSo, there\u2019s\u202fa right to health involved\u202fin this.\u201d<\/p>\n \t UNRWA continued to operate<\/a> for some time after the 2024 bills\u2019 passage, but its schools in East Jerusalem were eventually ordered shuttered<\/a>. Israeli police\u00a0raided<\/a> UNRWA\u2019s offices in the capital last month, lowering the United Nations flag and raising an Israeli flag in its place.<\/p>\n In about two weeks, according to WAFA and Haaretz, Israel will cut off electricity and water to other UNRWA facilities in Jerusalem. According to the outlets, the step will affect 10 buildings, among them schools, clinics, and other types of centers.<\/p>\n Last week, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Israel in a letter to Prime Minister Netanyahu that he could refer the country to the International Court of Justice if it does not repeal the laws targeting UNRWA and return seized assets and property.<\/p>\n Israel\u2019s UN Ambassador Danny Danon dismissed the threat.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are not fazed by the Secretary-General\u2019s threats,\u201d Danon said. \u201cInstead of dealing with the undeniable involvement of UNRWA personnel in terrorism, the Secretary-General chooses to threaten Israel. This is not defending international law; this is defending an organization marred by terrorism.\u201d<\/p>\n Sam Sokol and Jeremy Sharon contributed to this report.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tIllustrative: Students snack during recess in the yard of the UNRWA Boys\u2019 School run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees in the Shuafat Refugee Camp in East Jerusalem, April 29, 2025. (AP Photo\/Maya Alleruzzo)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AFP__20250528__48D97ZP__v1__HighRes__JapanUnrwaPalestiniansIsraelConflictAid-640x400.jpg\")
\n\t\tPhilippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), speaks during a press conference at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo on May 28, 2025. (Kazuhiro NOGI \/ AFP)<\/p>\n
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