Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has expressed apprehension over legislation passed by the Knesset to curtail the activities of controversial Palestinian UN agency Unrwa.

In a statement on Monday night, Starmer said: “The UK is gravely concerned at the Unrwa bills that Israel’s Knesset has passed. This legislation risks making Unrwa‘s essential work for Palestinians impossible, jeopardising the entire international humanitarian response in Gaza and delivery of essential health and education services in the West Bank.”

He also echoed criticism of the situation in Gaza made by the Foreign Secretary David Lammy in Parliament and said that the humanitarian situation was “simply unacceptable.” Before repeating calls for “an immediate ceasefire, the release of the hostages and a significant increase in aid to Gaza.”

Starmer continued: “Under its international obligations, Israel must ensure sufficient aid reaches civilians in Gaza.

“Only Unrwa can deliver humanitarian aid at the scale and pace needed. We pay tribute to the 222 Unrwa staff who have lost their lives in the conflict. Unrwa has a UN mandate to support Palestinian refugees. We urge Israeli lawmakers to ensure that Unrwa can continue to deliver its essential work”, the Prime Minister said.

Yesterday, 92 Members of Knesset voted in favour of barring Unrwa from operating in Israeli territory with only 10 objections. Another bill to restrict the agency’s activities in Gaza and the West Bank was backed 87-9.

One of those who supported the legislation, leader of the centre-right opposition party Yisrael Beiteinu, Avidgor Liberman, defended the decision and posted on X/Twitter that: “Unrwa employees not only collaborate with Hamas, but were involved in the murder, kidnapping and rape of Jews on October 7, and they continue to assist Hamas in the war against Israel to this day.” He added that passage of the laws was “not only critical for the security of the citizens of Israel, but also an important step of justice for the victims.”

The UN’s Secretary General António Guterres said on social media that “If implemented, the laws adopted today by the Knesset of Israel would likely prevent Unrwa from continuing its essential work in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, with devastating consequences for Palestine refugees” and that he would be bringing the matter to “to the attention of the UN General Assembly”.

One of Labour’s earliest actions in government was to restore funding to the controversial agency. Under the Conservatives, the UK was one of several countries that stopped funding Unrwa in January 2024 after Israel accused its employees of participating in the October 7 attacks and subsequent violence.

In July, Lammy told MPs that Unrwa had taken measures to change: “I was appalled by the allegations that Unrwa staff were involved in the October 7 attacks. We are reassured that after Catherine Colonna’s independent review, Unrwa is ensuring they meet the highest standards of neutrality and strengthening its procedures, including on vetting.”

At Labour’s annual conference in September, Foreign Secretary David Lammy celebrated the decision to restore funding to the agency.

However, one Labour MP has demanded greater scrutiny of Unrwa.

Neil Coyle, MP for Bermondsey and Old Southwark told the JC: "We didn’t allow Oxfam to carry on its operations when abusive men were discovered in its ranks. Unrwa should be treated the same: expel the culprits; change the culture; condition the funding. Turning a blind eye is not acceptable even without Israeli plans."

He continued, “We all accept Gaza needs aid. The US has found alternative delivery means for some humanitarian support. It’s not beyond the wit of ministers and international community to find other means of delivery.”