UNRWA reduces services to Palestinian refugees in Gaza

Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip have repeatedly staged demonstrations in front of the headquarters of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) to protest against aid cuts at a time when their humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate.

The refugees are expressing their anger towards UNRWA’s reduction of services, including vital humanitarian aid. The agency previously sacked dozens of employees under the pretext of fund shortages and the halting of construction projects due to a lack of materials.

Israel has placed the Gaza Strip under a strict siege since 2006, preventing the Palestinians living in Gaza from rebuilding homes and infrastructure after Israel’s devastating military campaigns in 2008-2009 and 2012, as well as the occupation forces’ frequent aerial assaults.

After the military coup in Egypt last July, the Egyptian military authorities exacerbated the crisis by limiting access to the Rafah Crossing between Egypt and Gaza and destroying the tunnels that had allowed essential medicine, food, fuel and other materials to enter the Strip.

The number of refugee families who have stopped receiving UNRWA’s food aid has now reached 11,000. All of these families have limited income alternatives in light of the strict Israel-Egyptian siege on the Strip.

UNRWA claims that a shortage of funds has placed the agency under pressure and is resulting in cuts to its basic services.

At the beginning of the latest campaign of aid cuts, UNRWA also tried to blame the Hamas-led government in Gaza for not securing its offices and convoys. But Hamas refuted those claims and maintains that Gaza is one of the safest places to work in the Arab region.

MEMO Photographer Mohammed Asad

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