Palestinians in war-devastated Gaza Strip and occupied West Bank expected to be hardest hit by ban

• Middle East crisis – live updates

The main UN agency serving Palestinians in the occupied territories, including Gaza, looks set to be shut down on Thursday as Israel defied widespread international support for the agency in a move Unrwa warned “will sabotage Gaza’s recovery and political transition”.

Unrwa’s banning looked certain as Israel’s high court of justice refused a last minute request to intervene to suspend the law forbidding the agency from operating in Israel.