<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
</head>
<body>
<div dir="ltr">
<div class="gmail-top-anchor"></div>
<div id="gmail-toolbar" class="gmail-toolbar-container"> </div>
<div class="gmail-container" lang="en-EN" dir="ltr">
<div
class="gmail-header gmail-reader-header gmail-reader-show-element"> <a
class="gmail-domain gmail-reader-domain"
href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/rubio-says-unrwa-to-play-no-role-in-gaza-aid-deliveries"
moz-do-not-send="true">english.almayadeen.net</a>
<div class="gmail-domain-border"></div>
<h1 class="gmail-reader-title">Rubio says UNRWA to play no
role in Gaza aid deliveries</h1>
<div class="gmail-credits gmail-reader-credits">Al Mayadeen
English</div>
<div class="gmail-meta-data">
<div class="gmail-reader-estimated-time">October 24, 2025</div>
</div>
</div>
<hr>
<div class="gmail-content">
<div
class="gmail-moz-reader-content gmail-reader-show-element">
<div id="gmail-readability-page-1" class="gmail-page">
<p>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.</p>
<div>
<ul id="gmail-content-slick-0">
<div aria-hidden="false">
<li>
<a
href="https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2025/10/24/8533fd25-aab4-4fa0-a9ae-18d55a384172.jpg?width=1000"
tabindex="0" moz-do-not-send="true"><img
src="https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2025/10/24/8533fd25-aab4-4fa0-a9ae-18d55a384172.jpg?width=1000&preset=w700"
alt="Rubio says UNRWA to play no role in Gaza aid deliveries"
class="gmail-moz-reader-block-img"
moz-do-not-send="true"></a>
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 <em>(Fadel Senna/Pool Photo
via AP)</em>
</li>
</div>
</ul>
<p>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 <a
href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/gaza-humanitarian-crisis-deteriorating-at-unprecedented-rate"
moz-do-not-send="true">confirming a continued UNRWA
Gaza aid ban</a> despite international pressure.</p>
<div>
<p>\u201cUNRWA's not going to play any role in it \u2026 UNRWA
became a subsidiary of Hamas,\u201d Rubio told reporters
during his visit to "Israel."</p>
<p>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.</p>
</div>
<h2>ICJ rules 'Israel' failed to prove UNRWA staff are
Hamas members</h2>
<p>His remarks came just two days after the
International Court of Justice (ICJ) <a
href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/icj-rules--israel--failed-to-prove-unrwa-staff-are-hamas-mem"
moz-do-not-send="true">ruled that "Israel" is
obligated to facilitate UN humanitarian activities</a>,
including those of UNRWA, under Article 105 of the UN
Charter.</p>
<p>The <a
href="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"
moz-do-not-send="true">ICJ stressed that the Israeli
occupation must respect the privileges</a> and
immunities of the United Nations and its agencies
operating in Palestine.</p>
<p>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 <a
href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/icj-rules--israel--failed-to-prove-unrwa-staff-are-hamas-mem"
moz-do-not-send="true">number of the agency\u2019s
employees were affiliated with Hamas</a> or any
other armed group.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>Despite the Marco Rubio UNRWA statement, the ICJ
ruling underscores that \u201cIsrael\u201d 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.</p>
<h2>41 aid groups slam Israeli blocking of aid shipments
to Gaza</h2>
<p>Forty-one organizations working on the ground in <a
href="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"
moz-do-not-send="true">Gaza have urged "Israel" to
honor its obligations</a> under the ceasefire and
international law, allowing humanitarian aid to reach
those in need, <em>Oxfam</em> reported on Thursday. </p>
<p>Since the ceasefire went into force, Israeli
authorities have repeatedly <a
href="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"
moz-do-not-send="true">blocked shipments of
essential assistance</a>, 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.</p>
<p>According to the joint letter, Israeli restrictions <a
href="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"
moz-do-not-send="true">not only deprive Palestinians
of lifesaving aid</a> but also undermine the
coordination of Gaza\u2019s response system, which depends
on cooperation among local organizations, national
institutions, UN agencies, and international NGOs.</p>
<p>"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 <a
href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/institutionalized-starvation-as--israel--enables-aid-violenc"
moz-do-not-send="true">Médecins Sans Frontières</a>
and the Norwegian Refugee Council.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div> </div>
<div></div>
</div>
<br>
</div>
</body>
</html>