Several countries have declared to the United Nations Security Council that they “deeply deplore” the decision of the Israeli Parliament to “abolish” the operations of the United Nations Aid Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) in the West Bank and occupied eastern Jerusalem, which should take effect on Thursday.
In a joint declaration, Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Slovenia and Spain condemned the withdrawal of Israel from the 1967 agreement between Israel and UNRWA as well as any effort for Enter the agency’s ability to operate and fulfill its mandate from the United Nations General Assembly of the United Nations.
Philippe Lazzarini, general commissioner of UNRWA, told the Security Council on Tuesday that the prohibition “would increase instability and deepen the despair of the Palestinian territory occupied at a critical moment”.
Knesset approves bills to interrupt a UNRWA AID
In October, the Israeli Parliament, the Knesset, adopted two bills targeting the operations of the United Nations Rescue and Work Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Middle East.
The first bill prohibits UNRWA from carrying out activities within the borders of Israel while the second makes Israeli officials illegal to have contact with UNRWA. Legislation is expected to take effect on Thursday.
UNRWA spokesperson Juliette Touma expressed her concerns about the potential consequences of the ban, saying to Tel Aviv Tribune: “If the prohibition takes place and we are not able to operate to Gaza, the need, could collapse.
The first phase of the ceasefire, which started on January 19, includes provisions for an increase in enclosure aid of up to 600 trucks per day.
The ban on Israel would prevent the agency from obtaining entry permits to operate in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip – which are both under Israeli control – in fact paralyzing the agency’s ability to carry out its mandate.
What is UNRWA and where does it work?
UNRWA was created by the General Assembly in 1949 to provide humanitarian assistance to 750,000 Palestinian refugees who were uprooted from their land during the creation of Israel in 1948, an event known to the Palestinians under the name of NAKBA , or “disaster”.
The organization – employing 30,000 employees, mainly Palestinian refugees as well as a small number of international employees – offers emergency, education, health care and social services at least 5.9 Millions of Palestinians in Palestine and neighboring countries.
UNRWA operates 58 refugee camps, in particular:
- West Bank: 19 camps housing 912,879 refugees registered
- Gaza: Eight camps housing 1.6 million people
- Jordan: 10 camps with 2.39 million people
- Lebanon: 12 camps, which houses 489,292 people
- Syria: Nine camps with 438,000 people
The role of UNRWA in Gaza and in the West Bank
For generations, UNRWA has been the main health and education service provider to millions of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation in Gaza, in the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem.
According to Lazzarini: “The prohibition would paralyze the humanitarian response to Gaza and deprive millions of Palestinian refugees of essential service in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. They would also eliminate a vocal witness from the countless horrors and injustices that the Palestinians have endured for decades. »»
Within Palestine, UNRWA offers free primary and secondary education to more than 300,000 children, in particular:
- 294,086 children in Gaza, or half of all students in the enclave
- 46,022 children in the West Bank
UNRWA also offers free primary health, maternal and child health services 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 an essential role in the supply of job opportunities, microfinance programs and support for income generation initiatives.
“ Dorsal spine of humanitarian operations’ in Gaza
Among the UNRWA mandate regions, the Gaza Strip, with a population of 2.3 million inhabitants, has the highest dependence on the agency’s survival services.
While other United Nations organizations such as UNICEF, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, World Food Program and Organization World Health all provide rescue services, UNRWA is “the backbone of humanitarian operations In Gaza, Touma told Tel Aviv Tribune.
“All the United Nations agencies depends strongly on UNRWA for humanitarian operations, in particular by providing supplies and fuel. We are the largest humanitarian agency in Gaza, ”she told Tel Aviv Tribune.
In January 2024, the Israeli authorities accused UNRWA workers of having participated in the attacks of October 7, 2023 led by Hamas against southern Israel. This has led several countries to reduce funding for organization.
However, after a UN investigation and the dismissal of nine staff members, all donors, with the exception of the United States and Sweden, resumed funding.
Since Israel started his genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza, his soldiers killed at least 47,354 people and wounded at least 111,563 others. Those who survived the conflict have lost almost everything.
During the 15 -month war, UNRWA provided:
- Food assistance: delivered food to 1.9 million people suffering from extreme hunger
- Health: offered primary health care consultations to 1.6 million people
- Mental health support: provided mental health and psychosocial support to 730,000 people
- Water: assured access to drinking water for 600,000 people
- Waste management: collected more than 10,000 tonnes of solid waste in the camps
According to a UNRWA situation report, 272 UNRWA team members were killed in 665 Israeli attacks and 205 UNRWA installations were damaged.
What happens once the ban takes effect?
Despite the ban on Israel and the already hostile working environment, Lazzarini reaffirmed UNRWA’s commitment to “stay and deliver”.
The first law adopted by the Knesset prohibits any presence or activity of UNRWA in Israel, directly affecting hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem, which Israel annexed in 1980 in violation of international law.
“Then you have a second law, which prevents any contact between Israeli officials and UNRWA officials. The law does not say to stop the activity in the West Bank or Gaza but prevents any contact – but the fact is that if you have no bureaucratic or administrative relationship, this makes your operational environment even more difficult, “said Lazzarini.
The ban will also limit the UNRWA non -Palestinian staff movement, although Palestinian employees are always allowed to do their work.
“The agency remains determined to do everything possible to fulfill its mandate and provide critical services to mitigate the fate of Palestinian refugees,” said Lazzarini.
The best donors of UNRWA
In 2023, UNRWA received $ 1.46 billion in total promises with the largest contributions from the United States ($ 422 million), Germany (212.9 million dollars) and the ‘European Union ($ 120.2 million).
Financing requirements for 2025
UNRWA says it needs $ 1.7 billion to meet the most critical humanitarian needs of 1.9 million people in Gaza and 275,000 people in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
This includes:
- Food ($ 568.5 million): Almost half of the Gaza population depends on the food aid of UNRWA. This funding will support food distribution to 1.13 million people in Gaza and more than 23,000 people in the West Bank.
- Water and sanitation ($ 282.6 million): This money would go to ensure access to drinking water and appropriate sanitation, in particular Gaza, where the War of Israel has decimated water infrastructure.
- Coordination and management ($ 202.3 million): Funds are also necessary to maintain staff, logistics and coordination to effectively provide aid.
Funding is essential for maintaining UNRWA vital operations. Without this, critical services such as food aid, health care and water access could collapse, deepening the humanitarian crisis.
