UNRWA: the backbone of Gaza aid

Irreplaceable humanitarian aid under attack. You can help.

A bombed-out residential block in the Al-Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City. Photo by Rrodrickbeiler.

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:

Boy sitting in the rubble of a destroyed UNRWA school in Nuseirat, Middle Areas. © 2024 UNRWA Photo

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.