Israel has targeted the agency since the Gaza genocide began on October 7, as it aimed to sever vital support for Palestinians.

Qatar has welcomed the adoption of a resolution by the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday seeking a legal advisory opinion over Israel’s accusations against the Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA).

In a statement on Friday, Qatar welcomed the Norwegian-sponsored resolution that saw 137 votes in favour of it out of the 193 UNGA members. A total of 12 other members opposed the resolution, including Israel and its top ally – the United States – whereas 22 other countries abstained.

While the UNGA’s resolutions are not legally binding, they reflect the stances of its members.

In its statement, Qatar’s foreign ministry said that the overwhelming majority vote reflected “the broad international rejection” of Israel’s decisions to ban UNRWA’s activities in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The Gulf state reiterated its warning over the severe consequences of banning UNRWA’s activities, stressing that it will deprive millions of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the occupied West Bank, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria “of its essential services”.

It added that the ban would terminate “the Palestinian refugee issue and their right to return to their homes and lands”.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reaffirms Qatar’s support for UNRWA, stemming from its steadfast position in backing the legitimate rights of the brotherly Palestinian people, foremost among them their right to establish an independent state along the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital,” the statement concluded.

UNRWA was established in 1949 in response to the forced dispossession of Palestinians by Zionist paramilitaries in order to establish Israel a year prior.

The agency has been particularly targeted by Israel since the beginning of the genocide in the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023 in an attempt to cut off the vital lifeline supporting Palestinians. 

In October this year, Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, passed two bills to shut down UNRWA, banning its operations once they come into effect early next year. 

The ban would prohibit UNRWA’s staff in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank from receiving entrance permits from the agency’s headquarters in Occupied East Jerusalem.

The decision came after a major Israeli disinformation campaign targeted the agency by spreading allegations that it supports “terrorism”, echoing Israel’s common accusations over any entity or individual that supports Palestinians. 

Speaking to reporters after the latest UNGA vote, Andreas Kravik, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway, said the crisis in the Gaza Strip has turned into a “dystopian nightmare”.

“Israel is claiming that they have a right to do what they’re doing. We are now seeking guidance from the highest court of the world, the ICJ, to punctuate this argument. Israel, under international law, has an obligation to provide assistance,” Kravik noted.

Within more than a year, Israel has killed at least 45,206 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the latest figures by Palestine’s health ministry. The actual figure is believed to be much higher with many thousands missing or trapped under the rubble.

The figure includes 359 aid workers, including 258 UN staff, killed by Israeli occupation forces within the same period, according to the agency.

Israel has also reduced the besieged enclave to rubble while causing a dire humanitarian crisis under its complete chokehold over aid and essential resources.