The President of “Commission 302” for the Defense of Palestinian Refugees’ Rights, Ali Huwaidi, warned that the year 2026 constitutes the most critical year for the future of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
The Palestinian human rights advocate confirmed in an interview with the “Sanad” News Agency on Saturday that the recent decisions announced by UNRWA against 757 of its employees in the Gaza Strip who left the Strip during the war represent direct political targeting of the Agency’s future.
He pointed to indicators threatening the Agency’s independence, including attempts to transfer its functions to host countries and Palestinian Authority institutions and impose external international oversight over its work, affirming that these steps could lead to the Agency’s internal dismantling and a significant reduction in its services.
He indicated that the decline in international support for the UN Agency has affected its budget, pushing it to rely on remaining Arab and international funding, noting that the past six years were the “worst in UNRWA’s history.”
He confirmed that the current situation threatens more than six million Palestinian refugees in UNRWA’s five areas of operations and necessitates urgent action from donor countries and workers’ unions to prevent any steps that might affect the Agency’s future and role.
