Israel's Bold Move Against UNRWA: What's Really Going On?

Israel has taken a strong step against the UN agency helping Palestinian refugees. They destroyed two UNRWA buildings in East Jerusalem. One was an office in Sheikh Jarrah, and the other was a school in Qalandia. This is part of a bigger plan to stop UNRWA from working in areas Israel controls. UNRWA's leader in the West Bank, Roland Friedrich, said this is not new. He believes Israel has been planning this for two years. He also thinks it breaks international laws that protect UN buildings. The school in Qalandia teaches young refugees skills like technology and welding. More than 300 students go there. Israeli forces used tear gas there too. Israel says they did this because of a new law banning UNRWA. They also say they own the land. But UNRWA says this is wrong and hurts their work. Israel has long said UNRWA supports groups like Hamas. The UN says this is not true. UNRWA helps 2. 5 million refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem. They also help 3 million more in other countries.Last year, Israel passed a law to stop UNRWA from working there. Since then, UNRWA schools and health centers have been closed or raided. Israel says UNRWA keeps Palestinians as refugees. But supporters say Israel is trying to ignore the refugee issue. This is one of the biggest problems between Israelis and Palestinians. UNRWA's leader, Philippe Lazzarini, said this is a warning. He thinks Israel might do the same to other groups. The US stopped funding UNRWA under Trump but started again under Biden. Now, they have paused funding again. Israel is also stopping other aid groups. They say these groups support boycotts against Israel. Groups like Doctors Without Borders say this will hurt people who need help.