The safety and sanctity of refugee status in the region has been routinely violated by Israel – this is no longer an allegation, but forms a critical part of the South African case before the ICJ. Taking action against UNRWA as a whole represents an intensification of anti-refugee acts, including the 58 refugee camps reliant on UNRWA funding, core responsibilities, and daily operation.
Dr. Nicola Perugini international law scholar and the leading expert on human shields in conflict and the intentional destruction of hospitals, notes that this “attempt to shut down UNRWA is clearly an attempt to shift the attention away from the ICJ genocide order….to destroy UNRWA reveals precisely genocidal intent: Israel`s calculated efforts to intensify starvation in Gaza.” The Lemkin Institute agrees, warning unequivocally the funding threats to UNRWA’s operations suggests the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, the Palestinian people via the destruction of the life raft provided by UNRWA.
Photo: A truck marked with the UNRWA logo passes through the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip during a temporary truce between Hamas and Israel, 27 November 2023. Source: Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters.
