Tel Aviv, Israel - Israel's parliament approved a bill banning the main UN aid agency for Palestinians, whom it is currently killing en masse through bombing and starvation in the devastated Gaza strip.

Despite hand-wringing from the US – which is unconditionally funding the genocidal assault – and warnings from the UN Security Council, Israeli lawmakers overwhelmingly passed the bill banning the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) from working in Israel and illegally annexed east Jerusalem.

Israel strictly controls all humanitarian aid shipments to Gaza, and lawmakers also passed a measure prohibiting Israeli officials from working with UNRWA and its employees.

UNRWA has provided essential aid, schooling, and healthcare across the Palestinian territories and to Palestinian refugees elsewhere for more than seven decades. It has faced unfounded claims of being systematically involved in the Hamas-led October 7 attacks on Israel.

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UN chief António Guterres said the Israeli law could have "devastating consequences" if implemented and "would likely prevent UNRWA from continuing its essential work".

UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini, whose organization has seen an unprecedented 233 staff members killed by Israel, warned that the vote "sets a dangerous precedent".

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on social media that Israel was "ready" to continue providing aid to Gaza "in a way that does not threaten Israel's security."

The ban comes as Israel continues committing mass atrocities in Gaza, with the strip's northern area under a weeks-long siege that has killed hundreds and threatens tens of thousands more.

A growing number of legal experts, human rights groups, and aid organizations have determined that Israel is committing a genocide against the Palestinian people.