Gaza, Nov 4 (IANS): Dismantling the UN agency for Palestine refugees without a viable alternative will deprive Palestinian children of the opportunity to receive education, the agency said.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) was providing education to more than 300,000 children in Gaza until October 2023, half of the school-age children who are now losing their second year of school, Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of UNRWA, said on Sunday on social media platform X.

Lazzarini added that there are about 50,000 children in the West Bank studying in UNRWA schools, noting that UNRWA is the only UN agency that provides education directly through its schools, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Our schools are the only education system in the region that includes a human rights program and follows the standards and values of the United Nations. Without education, children slide into despair, poverty, and extremism," he said.

Lazzarini noted that instead of focusing on banning UNRWA or finding alternatives to it, the focus should be on reaching an agreement that ends the regional conflict.

The Israeli Parliament passed on October 28 two legislations to prohibit UNRWA from operating in the country and ban Israeli authorities from any contact with the agency.