Foreign Minister Penny Wong has hit out at the Israeli parliament’s decision to ban the United Nations Relief and Works Agency from operating in the nation.

Under the laws, passed on Tuesday (AEDT), the UN agency will be banned from carrying out work on Israeli soil, deeming UNRWA a terror organisation.

The aid agency is the main organisation providing humanitarian relief to people in war-torn Gaza following the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East.

Wong called for humanitarian assistance to continue in the region.

“UNRWA does life-saving work. Australia opposes the Israeli Knesset’s decision to severely restrict UNRWA’s work,” she wrote on social media.

“Australia again calls on Israel to comply with the binding orders of the International Court of Justice to enable the provision of basic services and humanitarian assistance at scale in Gaza.”

UNRWA does life-saving work.

Australia opposes the Israeli Knesset’s decision to severely restrict UNRWA’s work.

On Sunday, Australia joined Canada, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea and the UK to urge Israel’s Knesset not to proceed with this legislation.

— Senator Penny Wong (@SenatorWong) October 28, 2024

The comments come after Australia issued a joint statement on Sunday, alongside foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea and Britain, which urged Israel not to go through with the UNRWA ban.

“Without its work, the provision of such assistance and services, including education, health care, and fuel distribution in Gaza and the West Bank would be severely hampered if not impossible,” the joint statement said.

“It is crucial that UNRWA and other UN organisations and agencies be fully able to deliver humanitarian aid and their assistance to those who need it most, fulfilling their mandates effectively.”

The bill passed on Tuesday bans UNRWA from conducting “any activity” or providing any service inside Israel.

The legislation has alarmed the United Nations and some of Israel’s Western allies, who fear it would further worsen the already dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, where Israel has been fighting Hamas militants for a year.

The ban does not refer to operations in the Palestinian territories or elsewhere.

The vote passed 92-10 and followed a fiery debate between supporters of the law and its opponents, mostly members of Arab parliamentary parties.

A second bill severing diplomatic ties with UNRWA was also being voted on later.

An UNRWA spokesperson said prior to the vote that the proposed law would be a “disaster” and would have a serious impact on the humanitarian operation in Gaza and in the occupied West Bank.

“We know that previous attempts that aimed at replacing UNRWA and providing humanitarian assistance have failed miserably,” said Juliette Touma, the main spokesperson for the organisation.

“It’s outrageous that a member state of the United Nations is working to dismantle a UN agency which also happens to be the largest responder in the humanitarian operation in Gaza.”

The vote by the Israeli Parliament (Knesset) against @UNRWA this evening is unprecedented and sets a dangerous precedent. It opposes the UN Charter and violates the State of Israel’s obligations under international law.

This is the latest in the ongoing campaign to discredit…

— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) October 28, 2024

More than 42,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the start of Israel’s offensive, according to the local health authority, and thousands more remained buried under rubble or missing.

The offensive came after Hamas led an attack on Israel in October 2023, which killed 1200 people and saw 250 taken as hostages.

Government Services Minister Bill Shorten said aid was still needed for people displaced in Gaza.

“There’s a lot of Palestinian people who are not members of Hamas who are suffering, and we’ve got to make sure they’re getting food and aid,” he told ABC TV on Tuesday.

“You’ve got hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians, and they’re the ones who are suffering and they’re the ones who we’ve got to prioritise.

“The international community has got to put to Israel that you look after the civilians, you’ve got to try and help them. It’s not their fault.”

-with AAP