High Court to hear challenge to laws restricting UNRWA operations, claims of impact on population

The High Court of Justice will hear a petition challenging Israeli laws that restrict UNRWA's operations, filed by Palestinian residents and human rights organizations Adalah and Gisha. The laws, passed in October 2024 and amended in December 2025, prohibit UNRWA from operating in Israeli sovereign territory, bar contact with the agency, and grant enforcement powers including disconnection of utilities and property seizure. Petitioners argue these laws violate Palestinian rights to dignity, education, health, and property, citing incidents like the demolition of UNRWA's Sheikh Jarrah headquarters and utility disconnections in Shuafat refugee camp. The state contends the petitioners haven't proven a broad collapse of services, stating alternative arrangements have been made, and frames the laws as a sovereign decision amid allegations of UNRWA ties to terrorist organizations. The International Court of Justice has previously advised that Israel, as an occupying power, must facilitate humanitarian relief from UN bodies.