Dismantling UNRWA will be 'catastrophic' for Gaza and Palestinians — Expert

The dismantling of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) will have “catastrophic” consequences for the vulnerable population in Gaza and other occupied Palestinian territories, a prominent expert has warned.

Jorgen Jensehaugen, a senior researcher at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), emphasised that UNRWA has long been regarded as the “backbone of the humanitarian operation” across the region.

UNRWA is “probably the most important actor on the ground, in terms of providing shelter, in terms of setting up camps, in terms of providing food aid, in terms of providing healthcare,” Jensehaugen said in an interview.

Established in 1949, UNRWA has been central to the welfare of Palestinian refugees across Gaza, the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria.

In Gaza, however, its role is particularly significant. Jensehaugen highlighted that even though other organisations like the World Food Program (WFP) supply aid, it is UNRWA that manages the critical logistics, handling storage, distribution, and coordination with other agencies.

“They have the deconfliction apparatus, the warehouses, the staff on the ground, and the distribution networks,” he explained.

If UNRWA is unable to operate, it will be extremely difficult for other humanitarian agencies “to take over or operate in any meaningful way, because the core of the operation that they depend on will basically break,” he added.

“In East Jerusalem, basically UNRWA will be illegal, meaning they will be kicked out of the city,” he said.

The agency’s headquarters would be forced to close, international staff would be withdrawn, and schools in refugee camps would shut down, he explained.

Devastating effects

A possible transition could involve moving Palestinian students into Israeli schools, but Jensehaugen warned that losing UNRWA's leadership would cripple operations in the rest of Palestine.

The impact on the occupied West Bank remains less clear, said Jensehaugen.

“Israel is not making exactly clear how they're going to operationalize this,” he said, adding that it will have longer-term effects in the occupied West Bank.

However, the long-term effects could be devastating, especially in education and healthcare services.

UNRWA takes care of the educational system for the refugees, and a lot of the health care, “so if that collapses, the big question is, will the Palestinian Authority be able to take it? Will they be willing to take it? Can they afford to take it? We just don't know,” he said.

Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, passed legislation in October targeting UNRWA, accusing the agency of colluding with Hamas. These allegations, denied by UNRWA, have been repeatedly raised by Israel since Oct. 7, 2023.

The ban imposed on UNRWA operations is scheduled to take effect in late January.

In response, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini told the UN Security Council that the agency remains the “backbone” of humanitarian operations in Gaza.

He condemned the “insidious campaign” by Israeli authorities aimed at pushing UNRWA out of the occupied Palestinian territories.

Lazzarini warned that undermining the agency would not only worsen the humanitarian crisis but could also destabilise the broader region.