The possible disappearance of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) will have the immediate consequence that Israel, as the occupying power, will have to provide the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank with the services that the agency provides to hundreds of thousands of people, as indicated by the head of the organization, Philippe Lazzarini. The future of UNRWA is threatened after the Israeli parliament decreed a de facto prohibition of its activities, which would come into effect at the end of January, raising concerns about the 33,000 jobs that the agency provides and the essential services it offers.
Lazzarini emphasized that this prohibition not only impacts the jobs provided by the agency, making it the second largest employer in the Palestinian territories after the Palestinian Authority, but also delivers vital services, representing 80% of medical care and education for 660,000 children in Gaza alone. In the event that UNRWA ceases its operations in the Palestinian territories, the Commissioner General highlighted that the responsibility to provide services and cover costs would fall on Israel.
In response to Israel’s accusations of a supposed infiltration of Hamas into UNRWA, Lazzarini strongly denied it, emphasizing the agency's neutrality in the conflict: "I will state something obvious: UNRWA is not part of this conflict," he declared. The Commissioner General condemned the dissemination of misinformation that has sought to defame the agency with such arguments. He also highlighted that Hamas has expressed its opposition to the educational programs managed by UNRWA in Gaza, which further evidences the agency's neutrality in the group's positions.
For example, Lazzarini mentioned that Hamas has rejected the "summer fun weeks" program, which promotes the inclusion of boys and girls in recreational activities such as arts, games, music, and sports. The current situation presents an uncertain scenario for UNRWA and its operations, putting at risk the provision of essential services to a large number of Palestinians in vulnerable situations.
