A number of family members of Israelis still held captive in Gaza have asked far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and the country’s Tax Authority to remove the tax breaks that UNRWA receives from Israel, Al Jazeera reports.

“While UNRWA ignores the rights of the hostages, the Israeli government grants tax breaks to the organisation for the entry of fuel and equipment into the Gaza Strip,” they said, according to Haaretz.

Their appeal states that about nine million litres of diesel fuel enter the Gaza Strip each year with a tax exemption valued at an estimated 26 million shekels (about $7m).

They also reportedly detail the legal framework of the tax exemption granted to UNRWA, and cite Israeli claims that the UN agency for Palestinian refugees and its facilities are controlled by Hamas for “terrorist” purposes, something the agency has strongly denied.