Israel on Thursday formally banned the main United Nations aid agency for Palestinian refugees from operating on its territory despite heavy diplomatic backlash, a move that humanitarian officials warn could have a disastrous impact on aid delivery and jeopardize regional stability in the long term.

The UN Palestinian relief agency UNRWA is continuing to deliver assistance and services in the Gaza Strip, West Bank and East Jerusalem on Thursday, said UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric as a ban on the agency in Israel came into effect.

Israeli officials have not spelt out how they will enforce the legislation passed last year by Israel's parliament, which accused Unrwa of being complicit with Hamas - an allegati

International staff of UN Palestinian agency forced to leave as Israel ban comes in - Aid agency says its work in West Bank and Gaza will continue

Iman Helles, a displaced mother sheltering in a facility run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees in Gaza, fears that she will now be “thrown out to the streets” with her three children.

Israel has banned the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) over allegations that the agency shelters terrorists

Israel demands UNRWA halt operations in Jerusalem by January 30, citing Hamas ties and security risks. The move follows Knesset legislation severing ties with the agency.

The Israeli government ban on UNRWA over national security concerns and links to terrorism began Jan. 30. UNRWA has called the move by Jerusalem as "disastrous."

On Thursday, laws passed by Israel in October come into effect banning the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency, known as UNRWA, from Israeli territory and prohibiting Israeli officials from any contact with the agency.

The ban effectively cuts off the UN aid agency from delivering critical aid to Gaza, putting millions of Palestinians at risk after 15 months of war have devastated the region.

The exchange involved three Israeli hostages and five Thais freed by Gaza militants. Photo by Haneen Salem / Anadolu via Buses carrying freed Palestinian prisoners have left an Israeli prison, after chaos during the release by Gaza militants of three Israeli hostages and five Thais led to a brief delay in the process.

UNRWA is banned from operating on Israeli soil and contact with Israeli officials is forbidden. Read more at straitstimes.com.