UNRWA funding halt in occupied Palestine: Will it implicate Lebanon?

An official UNRWA source clarified to the Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that the agency has not received information about whether the decision to stop its funding is limited to Gaza or extends to all its operational areas. 

This article was originally published in and translated from the Arab outlet Asharq Al-Awsat.

The source called on countries that have successively decided to halt funding gradually to clarify this matter.

A 55-year-old resident of Ain al-Hilweh camp in southern Lebanon, identified as A.Y., noted a significant decline in the agency's services in recent years. The services no longer include food, focusing only on healthcare and education. 

He emphasized that "stopping the funding will undoubtedly impact these services, affecting the conditions of 80 percent of refugees living below the poverty line, enduring the severe economic crisis in Lebanon since 2019."

Spokesperson for Hamas in Lebanon, Walid Kilani, highlighted via Asharq Al-Awsat that the information they received indicates a cessation of UNRWA funding in Gaza. However, this could be a precursor to the other regions where refugees reside.