The Israeli parliament the Knesset voted Monday to ban all activities by UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency largely responsible for delivering food and medicine in Gaza. Israeli lawmakers made the move following the presentation of evidence UNRWA staff were among the Hamas terrorists who raped, burned and killed 1,200 Israelis on October 7, 2023, and took another 250 hostage. Israel had shown videos the terrorists made of themselves during that massacre and invasion show UNRWA staff driving motorcycles and holding guns and hand grenades.

The United Nations initially denied the accusations, then performed an investigation of itself, which basically concluded some UNRWA staff “might have been involved.” Later the UN argued UNRWA staff including Hamas terrorists are basically international diplomats and therefore enjoy diplomatic immunity from prosecution.

The Knesset passed two laws dealing with UNRWA. The first bans all activities on Israeli soil, presumably meaning inside Israel including the Golan Heights but not the West Bank or Gaza. The second law specifically states UNRWA staff are not immune from prosecution for their crimes, as well as banning official contact between Israeli agencies and public servants with UNRWA.