UNRWA Warns of Deepening Crisis in Gaza as Political Transition Intensifies
Two months after the ceasefire in Gaza, UNRWA officials describe a humanitarian landscape still marked by instability, severe shortages and rising obstacles to aid delivery, underscoring the agency’s central role in sustaining basic services for Palestinians during a fragile political transition. Tamara Alrifai, UNRWA’s Director of External Relations and Communications, outlined the stark conditions facing more than two million residents, where education, shelter and medical support continue to function under extraordinary strain. With most housing units damaged or destroyed and famine declared earlier in the year, displaced families now rely on UNRWA schools for temporary refuge while the same buildings remain essential spaces for resumed lessons. Even in improvised classrooms, thousands of children continue their studies through in person gatherings and online programs, reflecting a determination to preserve one of the few remaining structures of daily life. Despite the ceasefire, safety remains elusive, with nearly four hundred people killed since hostilities formally halted, and humanitarian workers navigating ongoing restrictions on the entry of food, medicine, shelter materials and essential supplies.
Alrifai stressed that ensuring a stable political transition in Gaza requires linking reconstruction efforts to a broader vision supported by international partners. She referred to the New York Declaration, which articulates a path toward establishing a Palestinian state including both the West Bank and Gaza, and affirms UNRWA’s role until a fully functioning state is able to assume full responsibility for public services. Prior to the current crisis, UNRWA delivered almost half of Gaza’s essential services, with the Palestinian Authority providing the remaining portion. Any attempt to prevent the agency from operating, she warned, would remove significant institutional capacity and risk creating a dangerous vacuum in a deeply traumatized population. The agency’s ability to function is further challenged by legal and political obstacles in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, where a law enacted earlier this year restricts its activities in areas under Israeli control and where staff have had their entry visas revoked. The recent police raid on UNRWA’s East Jerusalem compound intensified concerns, raising questions about humanitarian access and the protection of UN premises under international conventions.
Conditions in the West Bank also deteriorated throughout the year, with record levels of settler violence and frequent security operations inside Palestinian cities, displacing residents from multiple refugee camps. UNRWA moved quickly to integrate these families into existing programs, yet the scale of ongoing displacement highlights how widespread and persistent the crisis has become. Regional tensions continue to affect nearly six million Palestinian refugees across Gaza, the West Bank, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon, marking seventy five years since the agency’s founding with little sign of improvement in their long term prospects. The General Assembly’s recent vote to renew UNRWA’s mandate for another three years affirmed global recognition of its work but also underscored the unresolved nature of the refugee situation. Compounding these challenges is a significant reduction in funding, including a 25 percent loss attributed to cuts by the United States and other major donors, partly influenced by unverified accusations regarding the agency’s affiliations. Alrifai noted that such claims make it easier for governments to withdraw support at a moment when sustained engagement is most needed, warning that Palestinians will bear the consequences as the agency struggles to maintain services essential for stability and human dignity.
