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Director of Information at United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) expresses serious concerns
(MENAFN) Juliette Touma, the Director of Information at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), expressed serious concerns in an interview with *Haaretz*, warning that any halt to UNRWA’s operations in Gaza would lead to a complete breakdown in the humanitarian aid system that currently supports two million people. This warning follows the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ announcement to revoke the 1967 agreement that underpins UNRWA’s activities in Gaza, Jerusalem, and the West Bank. While Israel’s Foreign Ministry claimed that only 13% of aid to Gaza flows through UNRWA, it also admitted to being unaware of how the remaining aid is distributed. Furthermore, the ministry acknowledged that UNRWA is the sole organization capable of effectively delivering humanitarian aid throughout Gaza.
Before the ongoing conflict, UNRWA employed 13,000 staff members in Gaza, primarily teachers. However, only 5,000 workers remain, many of whom are essential in preventing a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. Other aid organizations depend on UNRWA's logistical network to transport and distribute aid. “We have doctors, nurses, drivers, and technical staff—it’s like a small government. How will this be replaced, especially in the midst of such a brutal war?” Touma questioned.
Since the war’s onset, UNRWA has provided food to approximately 1.9 million Gazans and facilitated 6 million clinic visits. The agency has also provided shelter to hundreds of thousands of refugees, more than any other entity in the region. As a UN organization, its facilities are protected under international law, meaning Israel is obligated not to target them. However, these protections would cease if UNRWA were to shut down. Additionally, the agency has vaccinated 600,000 children against polio and remains the only organization able to transport fuel for humanitarian operations within Gaza.
Before the ongoing conflict, UNRWA employed 13,000 staff members in Gaza, primarily teachers. However, only 5,000 workers remain, many of whom are essential in preventing a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. Other aid organizations depend on UNRWA's logistical network to transport and distribute aid. “We have doctors, nurses, drivers, and technical staff—it’s like a small government. How will this be replaced, especially in the midst of such a brutal war?” Touma questioned.
Since the war’s onset, UNRWA has provided food to approximately 1.9 million Gazans and facilitated 6 million clinic visits. The agency has also provided shelter to hundreds of thousands of refugees, more than any other entity in the region. As a UN organization, its facilities are protected under international law, meaning Israel is obligated not to target them. However, these protections would cease if UNRWA were to shut down. Additionally, the agency has vaccinated 600,000 children against polio and remains the only organization able to transport fuel for humanitarian operations within Gaza.
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