Cuts to UNRWA programs push Palestinian refugees in Lebanon to the brink

Report by Petra Abou Haydar, English adaptation by Mariella Succar

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has scaled back assistance to Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, part of a broader policy affecting all host countries, including Syria, Jordan, the West Bank, and Gaza.

The agency’s gradual cuts, which began years ago, have accelerated, creating mounting difficulties for Palestinians in Lebanon and for those displaced from Syria by the ongoing conflict.

Health aid has been drastically reduced. Assistance for patients at UNRWA clinics—including cancer patients—has fallen from covering 90% of medical costs to a maximum of 10%.

Social support has also been curtailed. Refugees under 18, over 60, and those who arrived from Syria no longer receive the $50 stipend previously provided every three months. Programs that prioritized aid for the most vulnerable have been suspended.

In the education sector, several UNRWA school classes have been closed or merged, and teachers have been laid off as part of cost-cutting measures.

The cuts have prompted Palestinian refugees in Lebanon to protest and raise concerns about their growing hardships.