Gaza’s UNRWA staff rally against job cuts, demand labor rights

UNRWA employees marched in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis on Monday,  to protest potential layoffs and demand the protection of their labor rights amid the UN agency’s ongoing financial crisis, Anadolu reports.

Organized by the UNRWA Arab Employees Union, the demonstration highlighted concerns that proposed austerity measures will devastate staff livelihoods and disrupt critical services for displaced Palestinians enduring the Israeli blockade.

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Following the march, Palestinian Employees Union head Mustafa el-Gul told reporters that the union categorically rejects any threats to agency personnel, emphasizing that workers must not bear the burden of UNRWA’s financial deficit.

Zahir el-Benna, head of the Employees Union Council, described the rally as a “message of anger” to the UNRWA Commissioner-General, calling for an immediate halt to policies threatening job cuts.

UNRWA provides vital education, healthcare, and humanitarian aid to displaced Palestinians across the Gaza Strip.

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