United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (U.N.R.W.A.), established to support humanitarian projects in five operational areas including Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank, and Gaza, has suffered significant funding cuts after several staff members were accused of participating in the October 7 Hamas attack. Originally, U.N.R.W.A. received over 1.77 billion in total pledges in 2022, which accounts for more than 89% of the agency’s funding. But the agency has lost nearly $667.2 million because six major donors announcing their commitment to U.N.R.W.A. are now under review or suspension.

A total of twelve employees at U.N.R.W.A. were accused of involvement in the Hamas attack. According to the agency, these individuals were swiftly put under investigation and nine out of the twelve staff were terminated. Philippe Lazzarini, U.N.R.W.A. chief stated that, “It would be immensely irresponsible to sanction an Agency and an entire community it serves because of allegations of criminal acts against some individuals, especially at a time of war, displacement and political crises in the region.” Chris Gunness, a former U.N.R.W.A. spokesman said the agency could last only weeks due to the limited funding for its crucial effort to save Palestinian lives in Gaza.

According to the Israeli tallies, the attack on Hamas resulted in around 1,200 deaths. Since then, Israel’s retaliation has led to at least 17,487 Palestinian deaths. At this critical moment, donors to the U.N.R.W.A. such as the United States, Canada, Australia, Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Finland, Estonia, Japan, Austria, and Romania, have suspended their funding. These abrupt cuts in funding will not only exacerbate the crisis in Gaza, essentially leaving refugees without the needed resources to survive, but also send a misguided message to Israel – that the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza will not only be allowed to continue without consequence but also supported. We cannot stand aside and allow tens of thousands of civilians to perish and life-sustaining infrastructure such as hospitals and schools to be destroyed. To carelessly discard the mission of U.N.R.W.A. because of allegations against twelve employees is a mistake considering the tens of thousands of lives at risk because of this decision.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency was established in 1949, to support the relief of tens of thousands of Palestinian refugees after they were ethnically cleansed from their homes by Jewish militias. Through providing aid in areas such as primary and vocational education, primary healthcare, relief and social services, infrastructure and camp improvement, microfinance, and emergency response, the agency is estimated to be impacting two million people out of the 2.3 million population in Gaza.

Today, the U.N.R.W.A. directly employs 30,000 Palestinians, serving as the lifeline of refugees at risk. Losing funding critical to its humanitarian operations could mean an end to shelters, and vital services such as food and primary healthcare within its five fields of operations: the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan. As the crisis escalates, international support and donations are needed to ensure the well-being of those being helped by the U.N.R.W.A.