UNRWA, which has received a Norwegian nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize, has warned it will have to cease operations by the end of this month if funding dries up significantly.
Israel is planning to replace the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) in the Gaza Strip with other organizations, Israeli news outlet Ynet reported on Monday.
The plan is reportedly being drawn up by the Israeli foreign ministry to ensure that UNRWA is removed from the besieged enclave. Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz has instructed the director general of his ministry, Ya’akov (Kobi) Blitstein, to create a special team to execute the plan.
The report added that the proposal would be presented to the political security cabinet for approval.
The main alternatives to replacing UNRWA are the World Food Program (WFP), according to the report, and the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
Redirecting funds
At least 18 countries, including the US and the UK, have suspended funding to the UNRWA, citing Israeli allegations that 12 of the agency’s employees were involved in the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
The administration of US President Joe Biden would redirect any funds meant for UNRWA to other aid agencies working in Gaza if Congress passes legislation that would bar funding of the main UN agency for Palestinians, State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said, according to a Reuters report on Monday.
Patel said at a press briefing that the bill negotiated by the Biden administration and a bipartisan group of senators included $1.4 billion in humanitarian aid for Gaza, but that could be sent to WFP, UNICEF, or other UN aid groups.
“This is tangible money that we believe will save lives and have a direct impact on Palestinian civilians, and we will redirect funding for UNRWA to other partners to provide assistance in Gaza,” he said.
The UNRWA is the largest relief organization operating in the Gaza Strip, sheltering more than one million people displaced by Israeli’s military operation in the enclave. Nearly two million civilians in Gaza depend on the UN agency for their daily survival.
With more than 30,000 employees, the UNRWA provides services to 1,476,706 registered refugees, with 183 schools, 22 health facilities, and seven centers for women, along with other facilities, all of which are at risk after several countries suspended or temporarily paused funding to the agency.
Netanyahu wants aid agency’s mission terminated
Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said UNRWA must be shut down. “It’s time for the international community and the UN itself to understand that UNRWA’s mission must be terminated,” Netanyahu told visiting UN delegates, according to a statement from his office.
He said the agency was seeking to “preserve the issue of Palestinian refugees” and must be replaced if the “Gaza problem” is to be solved.
UNRWA, which has received a Norwegian nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize, has warned it will have to cease operations by the end of this month if the funding is significantly pulled.
Several UN agency heads, along with the WFP, signed a joint statement last week in an appeal to donor countries to resume funding.
“Any UN employee involved in acts of terror will be held accountable,” the joint statement said. “However, we must not prevent an entire organization from delivering on its mandate to serve people in desperate need,” the statement added.
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