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UNRWA: the backbone of Gaza aid
Irreplaceable humanitarian aid under attack. You can help.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is the largest provider of essential humanitarian services and programs to Palestine refugees living in and around refugee camps in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank (including East Jerusalem), Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan. Since the January 19th ceasefire, approximately two-thirds of all the aid entering Gaza has been delivered by UNRWA.
Of UNRWA’s 30,000 person staff, nearly 99% are Palestine refugees. The majority are teachers, health services, relief and social services staff, administrative and support staff. The list of all UNRWA staff are vetted yearly by Israel.
Since 1950, UNRWA has provided a wide range of services to multiple generations of Palestine refugees. Services include the following:
Education: UNRWA is the only UN agency that operates an entire school system, running over 700 schools across the region that provide free education to over half a million Palestine refugee children, from kindergarten through secondary school.
Healthcare: UNRWA operates 140 health centers across the region, handling more than 7 million patient visits annually — more than the entire New York City public health system, which is the largest in the US.
Relief and Social Services: UNRWA’s programs provide food assistance, cash relief, and vocational training to vulnerable populations, including women, children, and persons with disabilities.
Food Assistance: UNRWA food assistance has traditionally included staple items such as wheat flour, rice, sunflower oil, sugar, whole milk, lentils, and chickpeas, sourced from United Nations suppliers around…
