UNRWA chief warns services for Palestine refugees at risk amid funding cuts

​​​​​​​By Rabia Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The head of the UN agency for Palestine refugees, or UNRWA, warned Thursday that a severe funding shortfall threatens essential services for millions across the region.

“Unlike in previous years, the projected income in the first quarter of 2026 is too low to absorb a large deficit from 2025,” Philippe Lazzarini told the UN General Assembly’s Fourth Committee in New York.

“In the absence of a significant influx of new funding, the delivery of critical services to millions of Palestinian refugees across the region will be compromised,” he said.

Lazzarini said the agency faces a shortfall of about $200 million between the end of 2025 and early 2026, and “it may not be possible to maintain UNRWA’s operations at their current scope and quality.”

He noted that UNRWA provides 40% of all primary health care in the Gaza Strip and educates hundreds of thousands of children. The agency is “vital to the survival of millions of Palestinians,” he said.

Curtailing operations would have “grave consequences” for regional stability, particularly in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan, according to Lazzarini.

The UN agency has been facing severe financial difficulties since Israel launched a defamation campaign against UNRWA, claiming that staff members were involved in the Oct. 7 attacks. Despite UNRWA's requests for the Israeli government to provide information and evidence substantiating the allegations, no response was received, according to the agency. Israel's accusations prompted several key donor nations, including the US, to suspend or pause funding.