The U.N. agency that provides aid to Palestinians has been a crucial lifeline in the Gaza Strip for generations — and it was a bone of contention with Israel long before some of the agency’s staffs were accused of involvement in the Hamas Oct 7 attack on Israel.
The allegation, made by Israel, is a serious blow to the reputation of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, generally known as UNRWA. The claim was acted on by both the United Nations, which said on Friday that it had dismissed the accused workers and was investigating, and the United States- – largest donor which said it was temporarary pausing some funding for the agency.
Here’s a closer look at the organization and its work.
What does UNRWA do?
UNRWA offers various types of social services for people registered as Palestinian refugees in the wars resulting the formation of Israel, and for their descendants in Gaza, the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
The agency services is very crucial especially in Gaza, where most of the population of more than two million people are registered as refugees. Gaza has been under a longstanding Israeli besieged, and Hamas — considered a terrorist group by much of the world — wields control. No nation’s government takes even partial responsibility for governing the territory, and the Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited powers in the West Bank, was effectively expelled from Gaza in a 2007 power struggle with Hamas.
UNRWA builds and operates schools, medical clinics, shelters and playgrounds throughout the territory. It provides food, housing assistance and emergency loans and even oversees some garbage collection. It is one of the largest employers in Gaza, with 13,000 workers, most of them Palestinian, it’s a blessing in an enclave where almost half of adults are unemployed.
“Essentially, for the last few decades we have been operating a parallel government in Gaza,” Hector Sharp, the head of the agency’s legal office, said in an October interview with the New York Times.
What are the allegations against UNRWA?
It’s not entirely clear.
U.N. and American officials referred to claims that some UNRWA staffs may have been “involved in” the Oct. 7 attacks, but did not disclose on that involvement.
The US State Department referred to 12 staffs being accused and dismissed, however UNRWA did not offer a number but it is also not clear what kind of work they did or how senior they were. It also remains to be watch whether investigations will disclose more such allegations.
What is UNRWA’s relationship with Israel?
Israel has long accused UNRWA of operating in coordination with Hamas, alleging that the agency aids indoctrinate Gazans with anti-Israel propaganda, and turning a blind eye to Hamas militants firing rockets at Israel and operating a vast tunnel network within the territory.
Hamas controls what little civilian public administration exists in Gaza, so people and agencies under its control inevitably interact with the agency, however the extent and nature of that cooperation has been the subject of contentious, with many competing claims.
The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu has asserted that the agency is exacerbating rather than alleviating the plight of Palestinians, urging the UN to dissolve it.
Israeli officials have consistently claimed that Arab nations “want the Palestinian refugee problem to remain unresolved, serving as a constant reminder of the Palestinian tragedy,” said Ahron Bregman, a senior teaching fellow at King’s College London who specializes in the Arab-Israeli conflict. “UNRWA, as the Israelis view it, is a tool to keep the Palestinian refugee problem unresolved.”
But some experts say that despite the hostile public remarks, Israel, which occupied Gaza from 1967 to 2005, has needed the agency to provide stability there. “Behind the doors ,Israel has often favored UNRWA’s work,” said Anne Irfan, an expert on Palestinian refugee rights at University College London.
Why was UNRWA set up?
UNRWA was set-up in 1949 to aid approaxmaitely 700,000 Palestinians who fled or were expelled from Israel during the wars surrounding its creation and were prohibited by Israel from returning.
Many settled in refugee camps that fromed the agency, which have since become densely populated, mostly impoverished urban areas.
Palestinians are the only refugee group whose support is not managed under the global mandate of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary donations by U.N. member states, with the United States and European Union being the biggest donors
The agency, which has said it was short of funds even before the current war onset, has requested for a major infusion of money to adress the increased demand.
What has UNRWA’s role been during this war?
Since Israel began its military offensive and ground invasion in retaliation for the Oct. 7 attack, UNRWA has taken crucial responsibility to shelter Gazans displaced from their homes, now nearly 90 percent of the population.
The agency has converted its schools, hospitals and offices into emergency shelters that have become severely overcrowded. Additionally ,it has also set up sprawling tent camps. Furthermore, It has also been heavily involved in distributing deliveries of essentially needed food, water and medicine.
It has also faced the hardships experienced by the people in Gaza, where the health ministry says more than 25,000 people have been killed in the war. The agency says that 152 of its employees are among the dead and that 141 of its facilities have been damaged or destroyed.
