‘We will suffocate’: Palestinian refugees in Gaza fear UNRWA ban

Many Palestinians dread the impact their lives and futures will have if the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) is told to stop operating in Israel and the occupied territory on Thursday.

UNRWA provided the 2.3 million stranded Palestinians with lifeline of support throughout Israel’s 15-month war against Gaza, which has resulted in the displacement of the majority of its population and the destruction of the region’s rubble.

Refugees, who make up 71 percent of Gaza’s population, fear being forgotten about their families’ original homes or have the right to ever go back to the region that was once historic Palestine and is now Israel, aside from UNRWA’s crucial humanitarian role.

UNRWA has embodied the hope of refugees who have fled their homes since its 1949 creation to serve and deal with the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who were forced to flee Israel for good.

Sitting in front of the remnants of his destroyed home in Khan Younis, 74-year-old Abu Nael Hamouda describes UNRWA as “a lifeline across generations” – one that has provided education, healthcare and food in times of peace and war alike.

According to Hamouda, who himself was born in Majdal, “UNRWA is the lung that Palestinian refugees breathe from.” As a child, he was forced to leave Majdal because it became a part of Ashkelon in Israel.

“Without it, we would suffocate. My children and grandchildren went to UNRWA’s schools, we were treated in UNRWA hospitals, and it helped us put roofs over our heads”.

The Israeli Knesset passed two laws in October 2024, one for UNRWA as a so-called “terrorist” organization and the other for UNRWA’s continued operations in Gaza and the West Bank. While Israel argues that UNRWA supports “terrorism” by providing aid to Hamas, the ruling has drawn criticism from much of the international community, including some of Israel’s closest allies.

While the recent Israel-Hamas ceasefire has made aid shipments into Gaza of up to 600 trucks per day possible, the absence of UNRWA, the largest aid organisation working in the Strip, poses a significant risk for its inhabitants.

For families like Hamouda’s, who have relied on the agency for generations, the absence of UNRWA is not just a logistical challenge, it represents “a death sentence for millions of Palestinian refugees, in Gaza and beyond”, he says.

Filling the gap

Refugees are left to wonder what will happen as the UNRWA closure nears, especially now that Donald Trump has called for the relocation of Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt and Jordan, a request that Palestinian leaders, the UN, and Egypt and Jordan, and threatens to add more refugees to the 5.9 million who are dispersed in Palestine and other parts of the world.

Abu Ahmed Hamad, a 10-year-old father who was forced to leave his home in Beit Hanoon in Gaza’s north to escape the violence, recalls how heavily his family relied on the organization during times of peace and war. He and his wife also have ID cards from UNRWA.

“UNRWA is a lifesaver”, Hamad says. During the war, it provided food, shelter, healthcare, and even recreational opportunities for our children.

Despite the efforts of other humanitarian organisations, Hamad is sceptical about whether they can replace UNRWA’s comprehensive services. UNRWA demonstrated that it was the most effective at addressing the crisis after the war. He points to the sheer number of UNRWA employees and their experience in numerous wars imposed on Palestinians, not to mention the fact that other organizations were operating, but they only partially met the Palestinian people’s needs.

“Palestinians are the ones who are most aware of UNRWA’s significance and why it is targeted, particularly by Israel and the US. Replacing it by any other organisation is futile for Palestinians, and a grave victory for the occupation”, he stresses. “It’s an erasure of the Palestinian refugee cause altogether”.

A symbol of Palestinian identity

The establishment of the UN in 1949 was in direct connection with UN Resolution 194, which guarantees Palestinian refugees’ right to return to their homes and receive compensation for their suffering.

Many Palestinians see the closure of the organization as an assault on both this fundamental right and a key component of their struggle for justice and recognition.

“This is bigger than aid”, says Ibrahim Abdel Qader, a refugee from the Khan Younis camp. They are attempting to eliminate the refugee and return rights, according to the statement.

Former UNRWA spokesman Sami Mshasha, an expert on Palestinian refugee issues, claims that Israel has had a significant impact on the organization.

“UNRWA is pivotal in many ways”, Mshasha says. “Israel’s actions against UNRWA bears massive political devastation for refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, not to mention the symbolic significance in shutting down its 70-year-old headquarters in]occupied East] Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah”.

Mshasha points out that the conflict resulted in the deaths of hundreds of UNRWA employees and the destruction of more than 200 UNRWA facilities in Gaza. This is in addition to the massive financial cuts impacting the agency’s ability to fulfil its responsibilities. The organization made a feeble emergency appeal for $464 million, but he notes that this amount is far below the $1.7 billion needed annually to sustain its operations in its five main locations.

The US, a key donor to UNRWA, has also been criticised for its support of Israel’s actions. Following Israel’s allegations that 12 of its 13, 000 employees were involved in the Hamas attack on Israel carried out by the Biden administration in January 2024, the Biden administration cut funding for the organization. This only added to the financial strain.

Poor Palestinian response

Mshasha also criticizes the UNRWA leadership for how the ban was handled. “There’s no clear plan from the agency’s top management to navigate the crisis, despite 13, 000 staff in Gaza ready to serve”, the expert adds.

He questions why UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini has yet to visit Gaza. One of the Middle East’s most senior UN officials is “He.” Instead of allowing Gaza to navigate this crisis alone, he should be on the ground, he says, making sure UNRWA starts to recover.

Israel must act decisively to stop UNRWA from advancing its agenda. “Yes, the commissioner-general faces Israeli pressure, but the scale of Gaza’s catastrophe demands a stronger response and a clear recovery plan. Otherwise, the situation will only get worse”, Mshasha adds.

Hamouda, the 74-year-old who has lived through multiple wars and displacement, fears for the future of his family as the ban comes into effect. Without the force that has provided them with generations, he doesn’t want them to endure these hardships.

“If UNRWA goes, we will have nothing left”, he says. “We can’t survive without it. The only thing that kept us alive is…

Source: Aljazeera