Israel Cuts Off Electricity and Water to UNRWA Offices Amid Escalating Crackdown
Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen enforces ban on UN agency, intensifying campaign to dismantle UNRWA operations despite growing Palestinian reliance amid genocide in Gaza.
Watan-In a new escalation against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen announced Tuesday that Israel has cut electricity and water services to the agency’s offices located within its territory.
Under the slogan “Turn off the lights on UNRWA”, Cohen posted on X (formerly Twitter):“The law to cut electricity and water to UNRWA offices has been enacted, which will effectively end the agency’s activities in Israel.”
Cohen repeated Israel’s claim that UNRWA served as an “operational arm of Hamas”, saying:“An organization that acts as an incubator for incitement and murder has no right to exist.”
Context and Timeline of Crackdown on UNRWA:
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January 2025: Israel officially enforced its ban on UNRWA.
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The agency was forced to evacuate its main office in East Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.
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Israel also shut down six UNRWA schools in East Jerusalem.
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On October 28, 2024, the Knesset passed two laws with overwhelming support:
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Prohibiting all UNRWA operations in Israel
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Stripping the agency of privileges and banning any official interaction with it
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Israel alleges that some UNRWA staff participated in Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack—a claim UNRWA and the UN firmly deny, emphasizing the agency’s neutrality and lifesaving role in occupied Palestine.
מכבים את האור באונר״א!
החוק לניתוק החשמל והמים ממשרדי אונר״א, שיביא להפסקת פעילות הארגון בישראל, פורסם.
אונר״א שימש כזרוע ביצועית של החמאס, העסיק מחבלים שהשתתפו בטבח השביעי באוקטובר, והוא מחנך צעירים פלסטינים לטרור ולשנאת ישראל.
לארגון שמשמש כבית גידול להסתה ורצח אין זכות… pic.twitter.com/qYCKXEtG6J
— אלי כהן | Eli Cohen (@elicoh1) July 15, 2025
A Lifeline Under Siege
UNRWA is the largest humanitarian agency serving Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, and refugee camps across the region. Its role has become even more critical during Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza, which has been widely described as a U.S.-backed genocide.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel’s war has caused:
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Over 197,000 Palestinian casualties (killed and injured), most of them children and women
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More than 11,000 missing persons
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Mass displacement and famine, with dozens of children dying from hunger
Despite this, Israel continues to ignore global appeals and ICJ orders demanding an end to the campaign.
