Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Slovenia and Spain on Monday issued a statement in which they condemned legislation passed in the Knesset prohibiting electricity or water companies from providing supplies to UNRWA, the UN agency for “Palestinian refugees".
“Such actions undermine the UN mandate, violate international law and run counter to the findings of the International Court of Justice, while risking grave humanitarian consequences for the Palestinian civilian population and refugees," the seven countries said.
“We also call on Israel to ensure that established international NGOs continue to be permitted to operate in Gaza and that any deregistrations be halted. INGOs constitute a significant part of all humanitarian and especially health services in Gaza and the West Bank," they added.
The seven European countries claimed that the work of UNRWA, alongside other humanitarian organizations and NGOs, “is essential to confront the catastrophic humanitarian situation and to deliver life-saving assistance and essential servicesto the civilian population in Gaza, the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the wider region."
“We underline the obligation to ensure full, safe and unhindered humanitarian access and to enable the continued functioning of UN humanitarian operations and their partners, in line with IHL and relevant international legal obligations. Respect for the privileges and immunities of the United Nations and for international humanitarian law is imperative," the statement said.
Earlier on Monday, Minister of Energy Eli Cohen instructed the Israel Electric Corporation and Jerusalem's water corporation to begin the process of disconnecting UNRWA from the infrastructure, while sending pre-disconnection warning letters to the organization's public buildings in the neighborhoods of Ma'alot Dafna and Kafr Aqab.
Cohen also instructed that additional UNRWA facilities be located and that the new law approved last week be implemented.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini last week condemned the Israeli legislation as “outrageous," describing it on social media as “part of an ongoing, systematic campaign to discredit UNRWA and thereby obstruct the core role that the agency plays providing human-development assistance and services to Palestine refugees."
UNRWA has long been criticized for its cooperation with the Hamas terrorist organization, which has been proven time and time again. That criticism has increased since Israel provided evidence in 2024 that UNRWA staff participated in the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks.
Following the Israeli revelations, the UN formed a review group, headed by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, to look into the Israeli allegations.
The group said in its report that it found neutrality-related issues" in UNRWA but also claimed that Israel had yet to provide evidence for allegations that a significant number of its staff were members of terrorist organizations.
Emily Damari, a former Hamas hostage who was freed after 470 days in captivity, said that she was held at an UNRWA facility.
In April 2025, USAID revealed that the United Nations obstructed an investigation by the American government into the ties between UNRWA employees in Gaza and the Hamas terrorist organization.
Despite all the evidence showing UNRWA’s deep ties to Hamas, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) recently ruled that Israel must facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip through UN agencies, including UNRWA. That ruling was criticized by Israel as well as by the US.