As Gaza Starves, Republicans Take Aim at Another Lifeline. Almost No One Noticed.

As the world watches Gaza starve, Republicans in Congress quietly advanced a new ban on funding a United Nations agency that delivers food aid to Palestinians.

The GOP-dominated House Appropriations Committee last week voted to bar financial support for the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East, long the main hub of aid distribution in Gaza. If passed by Congress, the ban would reinforce a financial blockade on UNRWA that began last year as Israel subjected the agency to an intense pressure campaign.

Congress first banned funding for UNRWA in March 2024 as Israel pushed allegations that the agency’s employees were involved in the October 7, 2023, attacks. Democratic President Joe Biden had already paused funding for the agency.

The $46 billion bill would slash funding for many foreign aid programs and ban funding for UNRWA, while handing Israel $3.3 billion to buy more American arms.