UNRWA faces $200 million shortfall, warns services may collapse without new funding after US suspended support over Israeli allegations.
UNITED NATIONS: The UN agency for Palestinian refugees has issued an urgent appeal for additional funding amid a severe financial crisis.
UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini warned the agency operates “week by week, month by month” with uncertain prospects beyond November.
“We know that as of today, we will be able to process our salaries in November, but have no idea if we will be able to process our salaries in December,” Lazzarini told reporters.
The funding crisis follows the United States suspending its support after Israel accused some UNRWA employees of participating in Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack.
Israel subsequently barred UNRWA from operating on its territory, forcing the agency to repatriate international staff from Gaza and the West Bank.
Despite these challenges, UNRWA continues to employ 12,000 people across Palestinian territories.
Lazzarini emphasized the agency’s vital role, noting “about 75,000 people were sheltered in 100 of our premises across the Gaza Strip.”
The agency has provided more than 15 million primary health consultations over two years, averaging 14,000 daily.
UNRWA also collaborates with UNICEF and the World Health Organization on vaccination campaigns.
The agency projects a $200 million budget shortfall between late 2025 and early 2026.
“Unlike in previous years, the projected income in the first quarter of 2026 is too low to absorb a large deficit from 2025,” Lazzarini explained.
He warned that without significant new funding, “the delivery of critical services to millions of Palestine refugees across the region will be compromised.”
Despite US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stating UNRWA would have no role in postwar Gaza, the agency has expanded services since the Israel-Hamas ceasefire. – AFP
