Israel’s ban of UNRWA punishes Palestinians in Gaza, West Bank

As the Israeli occupation’s decision to ban the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) takes effect, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank face an increasingly dire fate. 

The UNRWA, a crucial lifeline for millions of refugees, is at risk of being cut off in Gaza, home to more than 2.2 million people, exacerbating the potential for famine and the total collapse of essential services.

Established in 1949 by a resolution of the United Nations General Assembly, UNRWA was created as a temporary system to provided aid and essential services to Palestinian refugees forcibly displaced by Zionist forces during the 1948 Nakba.

Over the decades, the organisation has served as a pillar of humanitarian support for millions of people in refugee camps in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria, focusing on health, education, and emergency relief.

During the wars that have ravaged the Gaza Strip, UNRWA has been the last refuge for Palestinians forcibly displaced by Israeli attacks. It has opened its schools to shelter homeless families, distributed food, provided clean water and medical care, and offered psychological support to children traumatised by bombings. 

Without these efforts, the humanitarian crisis would have been far worse, according to the Palestinian people in Gaza. The UNRWA’s absence would spell nothing less than an unprecedented disaster.

Caught between hunger and displacement

UNRWA’s role became even more crucial during Israel’s recent genocidal war against Gaza, as most of its residents had already been forced to flee their homes and became dependent on the agency for survival.

Eman Abdul Jawad, a displaced Palestinian mother living in a UNRWA shelter after her home in the Shujaiya neighbourhood was reduced to rubble by Israel, remarked to The New Arab, “If it weren’t for UNRWA, we would have died of hunger. If we did not die from Israel’s bombs, then from starvation.”

“Despite the fact that the aid we received was never enough, at least it kept us alive. We had access to the most basic medical care, which was crucial because the hospitals were overwhelmed with the wounded, and there was simply no place for us,” the 44-year-old mother of three added. 

Even after the ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel, Palestinian suffering has not ended since the Israeli military obliterated vast areas of the besieged coastal enclave, displaced entire families and leaving them destitute with no means of survival.

“If UNRWA stops providing aid, what will we eat? Where will we go?” Abdul Jawad asks, voicing shaking with fear that is shared by over two million displaced Palestinians who rely entirely on the UNRWA’s services.

Raisa Al-Kharaz, another Palestinian woman, was forced to be displaced from her home in Beit Lahia and has been living in Khan Younis for nearly a year. “We had endured oppression, humiliation, and unbearable hardship, but UNRWA was our saviour,” she said to TNA. 

“Now, with the Israeli decision, they are waging a second war against us. We have nothing left, but what UNRWA provides, and if that stops, we will face real famine,” she added. 

A ‘coordinated attack’ on UNRWA

As part of its campaign to cripple the UNRWA, Israeli authorities have ordered the evacuation of all UNRWA offices in East Jerusalem and imposed restrictions on the visas of its international staff, forcing them out of the occupied city. 

UNRWA spokesman Jonathan Fowler said in a press statement that these actions were “a forced eviction process equivalent to effectively halting the agency’s work.”

Despite Israel’s claims that other organisations could step in to replace UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, the general director of operations of the agency, warned of catastrophic consequences. 

“Implementing the ban will be disastrous. UNRWA is the backbone of humanitarian aid in Gaza. No other entity can fill this void,” he said in a press statement. 

“The Israeli ban could completely disrupt aid flows to Gaza, worsening the suffering of the besieged population and escalating the humanitarian crisis,” Lazzarini added.

“We are facing increasing political attacks aimed not just at stopping UNRWA’s work in Gaza but at eliminating the agency and erasing the very rights of Palestinian refugees,” he explained. 

Starvation and despair loom over Gaza

For Palestinian refugees like Ibtihal Abu Asi, a Palestinian woman in Gaza, the situation is a matter of life and death. 

“There were days when we had nothing to feed our children. If not for UNRWA, we would have starved,” the 50-year-old mother of eight told TNA.

Because of the war, all UNRWA schools have been turned into shelters. Each school now houses tens of thousands of displaced people, and over two million rely on the agency for survival.

“If UNRWA disappears, we will have no food, no shelter. Gaza will become a mass grave,” she warns.

UNRWA employs more than 13,000 people in Gaza, most of whom are Palestinian teachers, healthcare workers, and social service providers. 

These workers are not merely employees; they are lifelines for tens of thousands of families who depend on their services for survival. 

Beyond emergency relief, UNRWA plays a crucial role in providing education to millions of Palestinian children, forming the bedrock of refugee stability in the region.

The foreign ministers of the United Kingdom, France, and Germany have expressed their “deep concern” regarding Israel’s ban on UNRWA, calling on the Israeli government to fulfil its international obligations and ensure the unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid.

In a joint statement, they emphasised that no other entity or UN agency has the capacity or infrastructure to replace UNRWA’s mandate and experience.

They reiterated their support for UNRWA’s mission, recognising its indispensable role in providing essential services to Palestinian refugees and responding to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

A strategy to erase Palestinian identity

Israel has long sought to dismantle UNRWA, repeatedly accusing it without credible evidence of harbouring ties to Hamas. 

However, analysts warn that eliminating the agency is not just about stopping aid, but about erasing Palestinian refugees’ collective memory and legal rights.

“Israel’s goal in cancelling UNRWA is to dismantle the Palestinian refugee issue entirely. It is a calculated move to erase their historical rights and to undermine their legitimate claims to return to their homes,” Hussam al-Dajani, a political analyst based in Gaza, said to TNA. 

“This is not just about strangling Palestinian existence in refugee camps, but is part of a broader plan to liquidate the Palestinian cause altogether. If this continues, it could ignite a social explosion, destabilising the entire region long-term,” he asserted.