[News] Rubio says UNRWA to play no role in Gaza aid deliveries

[Anti-Imperialist News]

english.almayadeen.net 
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/rubio-says-unrwa-to-play-no-role-in-gaza-aid-deliveries> 



  Rubio says UNRWA to play no role in Gaza aid deliveries

Al Mayadeen English
October 24, 2025
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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said UNRWA will have no role in Gaza 
aid delivery, despite an ICJ ruling ordering "Israel" to facilitate UN 
operations.

  * Rubio says UNRWA to play no role in Gaza aid deliveries
    <https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2025/10/24/8533fd25-aab4-4fa0-a9ae-18d55a384172.jpg?width=1000>
    US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the media after visiting
    the Civil-Military Coordination Center in southern occupied
    Palestine on October 24, 2025 /(Fadel Senna/Pool Photo via AP)/

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Friday that the UN Relief 
and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) will 
not take part in delivering humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip, 
effectively confirming a continued UNRWA Gaza aid ban 
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/gaza-humanitarian-crisis-deteriorating-at-unprecedented-rate> 
despite international pressure.

“UNRWA's not going to play any role in it … UNRWA became a subsidiary of 
Hamas,” Rubio told reporters during his visit to "Israel."

Rubio stated that between eight to twelve organizations are currently 
participating in humanitarian operations inside Gaza, while adding that 
the United Nations maintains a presence in the enclave. He said the 
United States is ready to coordinate with the UN if existing 
arrangements prove effective.


    ICJ rules 'Israel' failed to prove UNRWA staff are Hamas members

His remarks came just two days after the International Court of Justice 
(ICJ) ruled that "Israel" is obligated to facilitate UN humanitarian 
activities 
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/icj-rules--israel--failed-to-prove-unrwa-staff-are-hamas-mem>, 
including those of UNRWA, under Article 105 of the UN Charter.

The ICJ stressed that the Israeli occupation must respect the privileges 
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/french-activists-lawyers-urge-paris-to-join-icj-case-against?utm_source=mango-searchx&utm_medium=title_and_relatives&utm_campaign=%23ICJ%20%23Israel> 
and immunities of the United Nations and its agencies operating in 
Palestine.

ICJ judge Yuji Iwasawa noted that Israeli restrictions on UNRWA were not 
backed by credible evidence, stating that "Israel" had failed to prove 
that a significant number of the agency’s employees were affiliated with 
Hamas 
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/icj-rules--israel--failed-to-prove-unrwa-staff-are-hamas-mem> 
or any other armed group.

The UN strongly denied allegations of any institutional ties between 
UNRWA and Hamas. UN Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq reaffirmed on Friday 
that UNRWA remains a neutral humanitarian organization operating under 
UN oversight and in full compliance with international law.

Despite the Marco Rubio UNRWA statement, the ICJ ruling underscores that 
“Israel” is still legally bound to allow UN aid delivery into Gaza, 
where humanitarian conditions continue to deteriorate. The ICJ also 
dismissed "Israel's" claim against the agency after it failed to provide 
substantial proof.


    41 aid groups slam Israeli blocking of aid shipments to Gaza

Forty-one organizations working on the ground in Gaza have urged 
"Israel" to honor its obligations 
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/who-chief-warns-gaza-s-health-crisis-will-last-for--generati?utm_source=mango-searchx&utm_medium=title_and_relatives&utm_campaign=%23Gaza> 
under the ceasefire and international law, allowing humanitarian aid to 
reach those in need, /Oxfam/ reported on Thursday.

Since the ceasefire went into force, Israeli authorities have repeatedly 
blocked shipments of essential assistance 
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/who-chief-warns-gaza-s-health-crisis-will-last-for--generati?utm_source=mango-searchx&utm_medium=title_and_relatives&utm_campaign=%23Gaza>, 
while a new, restrictive INGO registration process has further delayed 
urgent relief operations, Oxfam said in a joint letter with 40 other 
organizations, including Médecins Sans Frontières and the Norwegian 
Refugee Council.

According to the joint letter, Israeli restrictions not only deprive 
Palestinians of lifesaving aid 
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/300-000-gaza-students-resume-classes-amid-aid-blockade?utm_source=mango-searchx&utm_medium=title_and_relatives&utm_campaign=aid> 
but also undermine the coordination of Gaza’s response system, which 
depends on cooperation among local organizations, national institutions, 
UN agencies, and international NGOs.

"The restrictions are depriving Palestinians from lifesaving aid and 
undermining coordination of the response system in Gaza, which relies on 
collaboration between local organizations, national institutions, UN 
agencies, and international NGOs," Oxfam said in the joint letter with 
40 other organizations, including Médecins Sans Frontières 
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/institutionalized-starvation-as--israel--enables-aid-violenc> 
and the Norwegian Refugee Council.

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