The United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) ordered operations in Israel and the territory occupied on Thursday, many Palestinians fear the implications for their lives and future.
During the duration of the War of Israel at 15 months against Gaza, which uprooted most of its population and reduced most of the enclave in rubble, UNRWA was a critical support buoy for the 2 , 3 million Palestinians stranded, while humanitarian supplies decreased.
In addition to the critical humanitarian role of UNRWA, refugees – which represent 71% of the population of Gaza – fear to remain unrelated to the home houses of their family or a right to return to the country which was once the historic Palestine And who is now Israel.
Since its creation in 1949 to serve and manage the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians forcibly moved by the creation of Israel a year earlier, UNRWA symbolized the hope of refugees to return home.
Sitting in front of the remains of his house destroyed in Khan Younis, Abu Nael Hamouda, 74, describes UNRWA as “a lifeline through generations” – which provided education, health care and food in food period of peace and war.
“A UNRWA is the lung whose Palestinian refugees breathe,” explains Hamouda, who is himself from what was formerly the Palestinian city of Majdal. He was forced to evacuate Majdal when he was a child because he became a game of Ashkelon in Israel.
“Without that, we would stir. My children and grandchildren went to UNRWA schools, we were treated in UNRWA hospitals, and that helped us put roofs above our heads. »»
In October 2024, the Israeli Knesset adopted two laws: one designating UNRWA as a so-called “terrorist” organization and the other prohibited it to operate in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. While Israel maintains that UNRWA supports “terrorism” by providing Hamas aid, the decision has aroused a large part of the international community, including some of the closest allies of Israel.
Although the recent cease-fire of Israel-Hamas has made Gaza assistance ships up to 600 trucks per day possible, the absence of UNRWA, the largest help organization working in the band , presents a significant risk for its inhabitants.
For families like Hamouda, who have been on the agency for generations, the absence of UNRWA is not only a logistical challenge; He represents “a death sentence for millions of Palestinian refugees, in Gaza and beyond,” he said.
Fill the gap
While the deadline for approaches to the closure of UNRWA, the refugees wonder what will happen, especially after the American president Donald Trump called the Palestinians in Gaza to move to Egypt and Jordan, a proposal Rejected by Palestinian leaders, UN and Egypt and Jordan, and threatens to add more refugees to the 5.9 million who are dispersed in Palestine and in the world.
In the Southern Gaza Refugee Camp de Khan Younis, Abu Ahmed Hamad, father of 10 people who was forced to leave his home in Beit Hanoon in the north of Gaza to flee violence, reflects on the dependence of his family at the agency During period of peace and war. He and his wife also have identity cards.
“UNRWA is a life buoy,” says Hamad. “It was a safe refuge for us – providing food, shelter and health care, and even recreational activities for our children during the war.”
Despite the efforts of other humanitarian organizations, Hamad is skeptical about the replacement of UNRWA’s complete services. “War has proven that UNRWA is the most capable of managing the crisis. Other groups worked, but they barely covered a fraction of the needs of the Palestinian people, “he said, citing the large number of UNRWA workers and expertise in many wars imposed on the Palestinians.
“The Palestinians are those who know the importance of UNRWA the most and why it is targeted, especially by Israel and the United States. Replacing it with any other organization is futile for the Palestinians and a serious victory for the occupation, ”he underlines. “It is an erasure of the cause of Palestinian refugees.”
A symbol of Palestinian identity
The agency’s establishment in 1949 was directly linked to the 194 United Nations resolution, which affirms the right of Palestinian refugees to return home and to receive compensation for their losses.
Many Palestinians consider the agency as a key pillar in their fight for justice and recognition, and they consider its closure not only as a loss of vital services but also as an attack on this fundamental right.
“It’s bigger than help,” says Ibrahim Abdel Qader, a refugee from the Khan Younis camp. “What they are trying to do is erase the problem of refugees and the right to return.”
Sami Mshasha, an expert in Palestinian refugee issues and a former UNRWA spokesperson, says the agency was hardly affected by Israel.
“UNRWA is essential in many ways,” says Mshasha. “The actions of Israel against UNRWA carry a massive political devastation for the refugees in Gaza, in the West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, not to mention the symbolic meaning of closing its 70 -year headquarters in Sheikh Jarrah of Jerusalem (occupied by the East). ”
Mshasha notes that more than 200 UNRWA installations in Gaza have been destroyed and that hundreds of staff were killed during the war. This is added to the massive financial cuts with an impact on the agency’s ability to fulfill its responsibilities. The agency has launched a low emergency attraction for $ 464 million, “but this amount is far from the $ 1.7 billion it needs each year to maintain its operations in the five main locations in which it operates” , he notes.
The United States, a key donor of UNRWA, was also criticized for his support for Israel’s actions. In January 2024, the Biden administration reduced the agency’s funding following the allegations of Israel according to which 12 of its 13,000 staff members were involved in the October 7 attack against Israel led by Hamas, exacerbating financial tension.
Poor Palestinian response
Mshasha also criticizes UNRWA leadership for its prohibition management. “There is no clear plan from the agency’s senior management to navigate the crisis, despite 13,000 employees in Gaza ready to serve,” added the expert.
He wonders why the general commissioner of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, has not yet visited Gaza. “He is one of the highest senior officials in the UN in the Middle East. He should be on the ground, ensuring that UNRWA is starting to recover instead of leaving Gaza to navigate this crisis alone, “explains Mshasha.
While Israel continues its efforts to undermine UNRWA, the agency must respond with decisive action. “Yes, the general commissioner faces the Israeli pressure, but the extent of the Gaza disaster requires a stronger response and a clear recovery plan. Otherwise, the situation will only get worse, ”adds Mshasha.
Hamouda, the 74 -year -old man who has lived several wars and trips, fears for the future of his family as the ban comes into force. He does not want them to face these difficulties without the agency that has supported them for generations.
“If a UNRWA goes, we will have nothing anymore,” he says. “We cannot survive without him. This is the only thing that kept us alive. »»
This play was published in collaboration with EGAB.