On Thursday, laws passed by Israel in October come into effect banning the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency, known as UNRWA, from Israeli territory and prohibiting Israeli officials from any contact with the agency.

In the Shuafat refugee camp, a hardscrabble district in east Jerusalem surrounded by a hulking concrete wall, intense security checks make venturing out exasperating.

Israeli authorities announced Wednesday that they had arrested 12 Palestinians in East Jerusalem for celebrating the release of prisoners over the weekend under the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal. The arrests were made late Tuesday following the circulation of videos earlier in the week,

The Israeli government ban on UNRWA over national security concerns and links to terrorism began Jan. 30. UNRWA has called the move by Jerusalem as "disastrous."

Israel demands UNRWA halt operations in Jerusalem by January 30, citing Hamas ties and security risks. The move follows Knesset legislation severing ties with the agency.

The United Nation's Palestinian refugee agency said on Sunday it had been ordered by Israel to vacate premises and cease all of its operations in occupied East Jerusalem by Thursday.

Jerusalem has ordered their release held up "until the safe exit of our hostages during the next waves is guaranteed," according to the Prime Minister's Office.

An Israeli government spokesman, David Mencer, said on Monday that Hamas had provided a list indicating that 25 of the 33 hostages were alive and that eight had been killed. “The list from Hamas matches Israel’s intelligence,” Mr. Mencer added.

Israel has formally banned the main United Nations aid agency for Palestinian refugees from operating on its territory despite heavy diplomatic backlash.

Israel officially severed all ties with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), marking one of its most decisive actions against an organization long accused of aiding Hamas.