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An entire generation of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip would "be denied the right to education" if the United Nations Palestinian relief agency (UNRWA) collapses in the enclave under new Israeli legislation, the head of UNRWA warned on Wednesday.

Israel's parliament passed a law last month that will ban UNRWA from operating in the country when it takes effect in late January. UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said its implementation "will have catastrophic consequences."

"In Gaza, dismantling UNRWA will collapse the United Nations humanitarian response, which relies heavily on the agency's infrastructure," he told a U.N. General Assembly committee. "Glaringly absent from discussions about Gaza without UNRWA, is education."

"In the absence of a capable public administration or state, only UNRWA can deliver education to more than 660,000 girls and boys across Gaza. In the absence of UNRWA, an entire generation will be denied the right to education," he said, warning that this would sow "the seeds for marginalization and extremism."

He again pushed U.N. member states to act to prevent the implementation of the Israeli legislation, which has been condemned internationally.

UNRWA was established in 1949 following the Nakba, or 'catastrophe' which saw violent Zionist militias forcibly expel around 750,000 Palestinians from their homes to pave the way for the creation of Israel.

The organisation provides essential aid, health and education to millions of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank and Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.

Israel's ban on UNRWA

Israel's ally the United States has described the role of UNRWA in Gaza as "indispensable." U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield said on Tuesday that it was of urgent importance that Israel pause implementation of the law.

However, the legislation is due to take effect in late January, just days after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump takes office for a second four-year term. If his first term is any indication, Trump is likely to pursue a strongly pro-Israel approach, going even beyond the solid support given by President Joe Biden.

The U.N. Security Council has backed UNRWA and "strongly warned against any attempts to dismantle or diminish" it.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has told Israel that replacing UNRWA in Gaza and the West Bank would be Israel's responsibility as the occupying power. The U.N. views Gaza and the West Bank as Israeli-occupied territory.

The ban on UNRWA comes as Israel's war on Gaza has killed at least 43,712 Palestinians and wounded over 103,258 since 7 October 2023. The war on the enclave has levelled entire neighbourhoods and plunged the Strip into a deep humanitarian crisis.