Repercussions of Halting UNRWA Funding: Palestinian Concerns and International Dynamics

Do the countries that decided to halt funding to UNRWA due to the participation of some of its employees in the October 7th attack reconsider their decision following the urgent measures taken by UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Sunday, which involved terminating the services of nine of them out of twelve accused of collaborating with Hamas? 

Guterres affirmed that any UN employee involved in terrorist activities will be held accountable, including facing criminal prosecution. Will these countries backtrack on their decision?

This issue cannot be separated from Israel's ongoing and overt attempts to halt the work of UNRWA and choose another neutral entity allegedly to aid Palestinians. 

Moreover, Israel's dissatisfaction extends beyond that to personal attacks on Guterres himself following his attribution of the consequences of refusing to cease-fire in Gaza and the continued killing of Palestinian civilians without restraint to Israelis.

Several countries, primarily European along with Australia and Canada, followed the US lead in halting funding to the agency, with apparent significant and potentially dangerous repercussions on the ground.

In addition to the beneficiaries of UNRWA's services among Palestinian refugees, there are around 29,000 agency employees, with approximately 13,000 working in Gaza across about 300 facilities.

Palestinians have complained in recent decades about the declining services provided by UNRWA, attributing it to increased needs and dwindling donations. This is not the first time the United States has halted funding to the agency; during President Donald Trump's tenure in 2018, the annual financial assistance to UNRWA, totaling $300 million, was stopped before President Biden reversed the decision in 2021.

The United States and the European Union are the two largest donor entities to UNRWA, accounting for about forty-eight percent of its annual budget of $1.6 billion.

With these funds, the agency, established to assist refugees in 1949 under the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, provides various services in the Palestinian territories and diaspora countries. 

Approximately 5.9 million registered Palestinians are benefiting from its services, including two-thirds of the population of Gaza, totaling two million and two hundred thousand, who can benefit from education, healthcare, social services, camp infrastructure, small loans, and emergency assistance, including during armed conflicts.

Another ordeal awaits the resilient Palestinian people if the donor countries do not quickly backtrack on their decision.