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 the world. For many refugees in Gaza, UNRWA has been their only regular source of food.
Ongoing bombings and shifting frontlines have often made it basically impossible for UNRWA services to continue. To keep things going, UNRWA worked with local bakeries, providing wheat to help them bake bread.
UNRWA continues to distribute food parcels wherever possible, which now include rice, lentils, beans, oil, salt, sugar, milk powder, hummus, halawa, yeast, and canned fish. Each parcel is designed to meet the needs of a family of five for two weeks.
Essential food items have been brought in on UNRWA trucks, supported by the World Food Program (WFP), which helps with food transport. Overall, since October 2023, UNRWA has reached over 388,000 families (nearly 1.9 million people).
In addition to the distribution of its own aid, UNRWA also distributes food on behalf of other UN organizations. In just four days in January, UNRWA brought in enough food to feed a million people.
Since the fragile ceasefire in Gaza went into effect, UNRWA has been able to significantly ramp up its delivery of aid back to pre-October 2023 levels, with as many as 800 trucks entering Gaza daily. Thousands of trucks, including over 1,750 UNRWA trucks, carrying essential humanitarian aid have crossed into the Gaza Strip since the ceasefire went into effect on January 19 (numbers above valid until February 9). Since the start of the ceasefire, UNRWA teams are estimated to have reached over 1.5 million people with critical food assistance.
Protection: UNRWA safeguards and advances the rights of Palestine by offering legal and financial support to refugees, documenting incidents, and advocating for the rights of refugees.
Shelter: UNRWA provides emergency shelter and housing support for refugees, including shelter repair, as well as temporary shelters for displaced families. Since October 2023, 90% of Gaza’s population has been displaced (at least 1.9 million people). As of December 2024, UNRWA has converted 100 facilities into emergency shelters, housing nearly 400,000 internally displaced persons. Currently UNRWA is running 120 designated emergency shelters (DES) in the Gaza Strip, hosting about 120,000 people.
Israel’s politicization of UNRWA?
For 75 years, UNRWA has maintained a strong reputation, with its mandate supported by an overwhelming majority of UN Member States. The Agency exists because a political solution does not. However, in recent years, UNRWA’s reputation has been increasingly defamed.
Israel has attempted to discredit and undermine the agency, accusing UNRWA staff members of having ties to militant groups and of promoting anti-Israeli views and sentiments. These accusations have been amplified by Israeli-funded political detractors like UN Watch, which have led insidious campaigns to end UNRWA’s operations for political reasons. According to the Center for Media and Democracy, UN Watch was founded by and is funded by the American Jewish Committee.
In late October 2024, the Israeli Knesset passed legislation to prohibit Israeli authorities from having any contact with UNRWA and barring the agency from operating in Israel itself, part of a concerted and broader propaganda campaign to silence critics. The ban took effect at the end of January 2024.
This outrageous and unprecedented move opposes the UN Charter and violates Israel’s obligations under international law. The ban has resulted in the vandalization of UNRWA’s East Jerusalem headquarters, forced departure of international staff, as well as a complete communication shutdown between Israeli authorities and UNRWA.
Google Ads and billboards
Israel has used inflammatory disinformation on billboards in prime locations in the US and Europe, complemented by government paid Google ads, to push overt distortions. These are well funded efforts intended to distract us from the brutality of the international crimes being committed in Gaza.
Campaign ads on the street outside of the UN headquarters in New York portray UNRWA as complicit in terrorism by featuring false images of masked individuals wearing Hamas fatigues and fake UNRWA headbands. Israel has also exerted diplomatic pressure on donor countries, particularly the United States, to reduce or halt funding to the agency.
UNRWA response to Israeli propaganda
UNRWA strongly rejects accusations that it supports terrorism or promotes political agendas and has refuted claims that its educational material or programs endorse violence or radical ideologies, stressing its commitment to neutrality as a fundamental principle. UNRWA has also highlighted its transparent accountability measures, including regular audits and oversight by both internal and external bodies, to address concerns about corruption or mismanagement.
In addition, UNRWA USA launched several powerful counter-campaigns including #HandsOffUNRWA (an advocacy-focused initiative aimed at sounding the alarm about Israel’s UNRWA ban) and “UNRWA Is Irreplaceable” (a direct ad campaign to communicate the agency’s essential role through simple imagery and truths: UNRWA works).
How is UNRWA funded?
Nearly all UNRWA funding comes from voluntary contributions, mostly from UN member states and private donors; top contributors have been the United States, Germany, and the European Commission. UNRWA is also supported by two national committees, UNRWA Spain and UNRWA USA.
The United States has historically been UNRWA’s #1 donor. In 2023, the US government provided hundreds of millions of dollars — anywhere between one-fourth and one-third of UNRWA’s entire budgets.
In 2018, Trump defunded UNRWA, but the Biden administration resumed financial support from April 2021 until January 2024. On February 4, 2025 President Trump announced an Executive Order to end US involvement with the United Nations Council on Human Rights and to halt UNRWA funding, aligning with Israel’s stance.
Despite this, top American officials continue to recognize UNRWA’s irreplaceable role and the American people have courageously stepped up to support suffering innocents, including by providing over $56 million in life-saving critical humanitarian aid to Gaza through UNRWA USA.
UNRWA USA National Committee (UNRWA USA)
UNRWA USA National Committee (UNRWA USA) is a separate but affiliated 501c3 US-based nonprofit that raises funds for select UNRWA programs. UNRWA USA is funded through grassroots donations from US individuals, along with some support from corporate donors and foundations.
Since October 2023, an amazing 139,000 compassionate, grassroots supporters have attempted to fill this funding void. UNRWA USA sent an impressive $56 million in total to UNRWA’s Gaza Emergency Fund and became that fund’s third largest global donor. UNRWA USA was also the seventh largest global donor to UNRWA in 2024 with a total contribution of $44 million.
How can people in the US and elsewhere help?
- In early March, lawmakers are expected to re-introduce the UNRWA Funding Emergency Restoration Act, first introduced in September 2024 by Representatives Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), André Carson (IN-07) and Jan Schakowsky (IL-09). The bill would restore US government funding for UNRWA. Write your representatives and encourage them to co-sponsor the bill. Find your representaive’s contact information here.
- Donate via UNRWA USA: Individuals can make one-time or monthly donations through UNRWA USA, which are tax-deductible. In the month of March UNRWA USA will run a major Ramadan campaign which features a 100% Zakat Fund that will directly provide food assistance and water for Palestine refugees in Gaza. There are many ways to give, including through DAFs, stocks, crypto and legacy gifts. Find the best way for you here.
- Share your story: With growing political pressure and campaigns aimed at discrediting the agency, UNRWA and its supporters need to counter negative portrayals by sharing powerful, authentic refugee stories that highlight the real, human impact of both UNRWA and UNRWA USA’s work. Share your story here.
- Follow and engage with UNRWA USA on social media: In addition to sharing any personal stories, another easy way to support UNRWA USA and counter the narrative campaigns against the agency is by following UNRWA USA on social media and sharing content to expand and deepen its reach across US audiences. Twitter. Facebook. Instagram. TikTok.
- Host or attend a fundraising event: Join UNRWA USA for an Iftar dinner in Dearborn, MI in mid-March. Contact UNRWA USA if you’re interested in organizing your own third-party fundraiser to benefit UNRWA USA.
- Register for the Gaza 5K walk/runs: Participate in or sponsor the UNRWA USA signature event, which typically raises funds for mental health support for refugee children in Gaza. In 2025, UNRWA will host Gaza 5Ks in three cities: DC (May), Seattle (July), and NYC (October). Details to be shared via gaza5k.org.
- Advocate for Palestine refugees: Help advocate for the restoration of US government funding for UNRWA. UNRWA USA will be on Capitol Hill later in February and grassroots constituents can send pre-written emails and make calls to their elected officials through its advocacy portal: unrwausa.org/advocate
- Volunteer: Offer your time and talent to support the mission of UNRWA USA. Contact UNRWA USA to get involved.
No Other Land
The film, No Other Land won the 2025 Academy Award for Best Documentary, marking the first time that a Palestinian filmmaker has won an Oscar. Made by Palestinian activist, Basel Adra; Israeli journaist Yuval Abraham; Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal; and Israeli filmmaker Rachel Szor, the film documents the Israeli military’s destruction of Adra’s hometown, Masafer Yatta, in the southern occupied West Bank in 2023.
No US studio or distributor will distribute the film and streaming services have refused to show it. However, you can watch it at these participating theaters.
This article is a collaboration with Laila Mokhiber, Senior Director of Communications for UNRWA USA.
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