UN Palestinian refugee agency likely to shut down operations in February amid funding cuts

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) – The UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) is likely to shut down operations by the end of February amid a suspension of funding by Western countries, its chief warned Thursday.

"As the war in Gaza is being pursued unabated, and at the time the International Court of Justice calls for more humanitarian assistance, it is the time to reinforce and not to weaken UNRWA,” UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement.

He said the UN refugee agency “remains the largest aid organization in one of the most severe and complex humanitarian crises in the world.”

“I echo the call of the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to resume funding to UNRWA,” Lazzarini said. “If the funding remains suspended, we will most likely be forced to shut down our operations by end of February not only in Gaza but also across the region.”

At least 18 countries along with the EU have suspended their funding for the UNRWA based on Israel's allegations that 12 of its staff were involved in the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas.

Last week, the UN agency launched an investigation of the Israeli allegations.

"It’s difficult to imagine that Gazans will survive this crisis without UNRWA," said the agency’s director in Gaza, Thomas White.

Nearly 2 million people in Gaza, the vast majority women and children, depend on UNRWA for their sheer survival as the UN agency manages overcrowded shelters, food assistance and primary health care. Their humanitarian conditions are getting worse as the war continues and humanitarian access remains largely restricted.

"UNRWA is the largest humanitarian organization in Gaza. Of its 13,000 staff, more than 3,000 continue working, they are the backbone of the humanitarian aid operations," White said.

Israeli has accused UNRWA staff of working for Hamas since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict, in what was considered “justification” for attacking the organization’s schools and facilities in the strip, which houses tens of thousands of displaced people, according to analysts.

Israel has mounted a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, killing at least 27,019 Palestinians and injuring 66,139, while nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

The Israeli offensive has left 85% of Gaza’s population internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar