Israel will cut ties with the UN agency for Palestinian refugees on Thursday following accusations it provided cover for Hamas militants, a move likely to hamper delivery of its vital services after 15 months of war in Gaza.

The agency, UNRWA, will be banned from operating on Israeli soil, and contact between it and Israeli officials will also be forbidden.

UNRWA has provided support for Palestinian refugees around the Middle East for over 70 years, but has long clashed with Israeli officials, who have repeatedly accused it of undermining the country's security.

The hostility intensified in the wake of Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, with accusations that UNRWA employees participated in the assault.

"Humanitarian aid doesn't equal UNRWA, and UNRWA doesn't equal humanitarian aid. UNRWA equals an organization infested with Hamas terror activity," Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein wrote on social media platform X ahead of the ban.

"This is why, beginning........

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