UN warns Gaza aid efforts could disintegrate if Israeli legislation passes

The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees warned on Wednesday that if pending Israeli legislation is adopted, all humanitarian operations in Gaza and the West Bank may disintegrate, leaving hundreds of thousands of people in dire need as war rages.

Philippe Lazzarini told the UN Security Council that senior Israeli officials are bent on destroying the UN body known as UNRWA, which is the main provider of humanitarian aid in Gaza, the Palestinian territory rocked by a year of war between Israel and Hamas.

An Israeli parliamentary committee approved a pair of bills this week that would ban UNRWA from operating in Israeli territory and end all contact between the government and the UN agency. The bill needs final approval from the Knesset, Israel's parliament.

Lazzarini said in a video briefing that legally, the Knesset legislation violates Israel's obligation under the United Nations Charter and international law".

Israel has alleged that some of UNRWA's thousands of staff .