Several countries have told the United Nations Security Council that they “deeply deplore” the Israeli parliament’s decision to “abolish” the operations of the UN aid agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, set to take effect on Thursday.
In a joint statement, Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Slovenia and Spain condemned Israel’s withdrawal from the 1967 agreement between Israel and UNRWA as well as any efforts to hinder the agency’s ability to function and fulfil its mandate from the UN General Assembly.
UNRWA’s commissioner general, Philippe Lazzarini, stated to the Security Council on Tuesday that the ban would “heighten instability and deepen despair in the occupied Palestinian territory at a crucial time.”
UNRWA aid bill is approved by the Knesset.
In October, the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, passed two bills targeting the operations of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.
The second bill makes it illegal for Israeli officials to communicate with UNRWA while the first prohibits UNRWA from carrying out activities within Israel’s borders. The legislation will go into effect on Thursday.
The ceasefire, which also includes bringing in humanitarian supplies for the organization and those in need, may collapse, according to UNRWA spokesman Juliette Touma, who stated concerns about the potential repercussions of the ban.
Up to 600 trucks are moving into the enclave each day as part of the first phase of the ceasefire, which officially began on January 19.
The agency’s capacity to carry out its mission would be severely hampered by Israel’s ban, which would make it impossible for it to obtain any entrance permits to operate in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, both of which are under Israeli control.
What is UNRWA and where does it operate?
The UNRWA was established by the General Assembly in 1949 to provide humanitarian aid to 750 000 Palestinian refugees who had fled their homes when Israel’s founding in 1948 was called the “catastrophe,” or “Nakba.”
At least 5.9 million Palestinians in Palestine and neighboring countries are served by the organization, which employs 30, 000 workers, primarily Palestinian refugees and a small number of international employees.
UNRWA operates 58 refugee camps including:
- West Bank: 19 camps housing 912, 879 registered refugees
- Gaza: eight camps housing 1.6 million people
- Jordan: 10 camps with 2.39 million people
- Lebanon: 12 camps, home to 489, 292 people
- Syria: nine camps with 438, 000 people
UNRWA’s role in Gaza and the West Bank
UNRWA has provided the majority of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation in Gaza, the West Bank, and occupied East Jerusalem with health and education services for generations.
Lazzarini claims that the ban would stifle Gaza’s humanitarian response and render essential services to millions of Palestinian refugees in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, unavailable. Additionally, they would render a vocal observer of the uncountable injustices and horrors that Palestinians have endured for generations.
Within Palestine, UNRWA offers free primary and secondary education to more than 300, 000 children, including:
- 294, 086 children in Gaza, or half of all students in the enclave
- 46, 022 children in the West Bank
Additionally, UNRWA provides free maternal and child health care to:
- 1.2 million people in Gaza – more than half of the population
- 894, 951 people in the West Bank
UNRWA also provides food for:
- 1.13 million people in Gaza, or half of the population
- 23, 903 people in the West Bank
UNRWA also plays a critical role in providing employment opportunities, microfinance programmes and support for income-generating initiatives.
Gaza’s “backbone of humanitarian operations”
Among the regions under UNRWA’s mandate, the Gaza Strip, with a population of 2.3 million people, has the highest dependence on the agency’s services for survival.
While other UN organisations such as UNICEF, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, World Food Programme and World Health Organization all provide life-saving services, UNRWA is the “backbone of humanitarian operations” in Gaza, Touma told Al Jazeera.
“All UN organizations rely heavily on UNRWA for humanitarian operations, including bringing in fuel and supplies. We are the largest humanitarian agency in Gaza”, she told Al Jazeera.
In January 2024, Israeli authorities accused UNRWA workers of participating in the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attacks on southern Israel. This led several countries to cut funding to the organisation.
All donors, with the exception of the United States and Sweden, have since resumed funding following an investigation by the UN and the termination of nine staff members.
Since Israel began its genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, its military has killed at least 47, 354 people and injured at least 111, 563 others. Nearly everything has been lost by those who survived the conflict.
During the 15-month war, UNRWA provided:
- Food assistance: delivered food to 1.9 million people experiencing extreme hunger
- Healthcare: offered primary healthcare consultations to 1.6 million individuals
- Mental health support: provided mental health and psychosocial support to 730, 000 people
- Water: ensured access to clean water for 600, 000 people
- Waste management: collected more than 10, 000 tonnes of solid waste from camps
According to an UNRWA situation report, 272 UNRWA team members were killed in 665 Israeli attacks and 205 UNRWA facilities were damaged.
What happens following the implementation of the ban?
Despite Israel’s ban and the already hostile work environment, Lazzarini reaffirmed UNRWA’s commitment to “stay and deliver”.
In direct conflict with international law, Israel annexed East Jerusalem in 1980 in violation of international law, with the first law passed by the Knesset prohibiting UNRWA activities or presence there.
A second law also prohibits any communication between UNRWA and Israeli officials. The law only prohibits contact in the West Bank and Gaza, but it does state that having no formal administrative or bureaucratic connections makes your work environment even more challenging, according to Lazzarini.
UNRWA’s non-Palestinian staff members will also be limited by the ban, but Palestinian employees will still be permitted to work there.
The organization will continue to do everything in its power to fulfill its mandate and provide essential services to help the Palestinian refugees’ plight, Lazzarini continued.
UNRWA’s top donors
In 2023, UNRWA received $1.46bn in total pledges with the largest contributions coming from the US ($422m), Germany ($212.9m) and the European Union ($120.2m).
Needs for funding in 2025
UNRWA estimates that 275, 000 people in the West Bank and East Jerusalem need $1.7 billion to meet their most pressing humanitarian needs.
This includes:
- Food ($568.5m): Nearly half of Gaza’s population depends on food aid from UNRWA. 1.13 million people in Gaza and more than 23 000 people in the West Bank will receive food thanks to this funding.
- Water and sanitation ($282.6m): This money would go to ensuring access to clean water and proper sanitation, especially in Gaza, where Israel’s war has decimated water infrastructure.
- Coordination and management ($202.3m): Funds are also needed for maintaining staff, logistics and coordination to deliver aid effectively.
Source: Aljazeera
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