ICSPR Condemns Violations Against UNRWA Employees in the Gaza Region

Date: February 9, 2025

Original Language: Arabic

Press Release

ICSPR Condemns Violations Against UNRWA Employees in the Gaza Region

The International Commission to Support Palestinian Rights (ICSPR) condemns the violations committed by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Refugees (UNRWA) against its employees in the Gaza region who are currently outside the Strip. On Wednesday, February 5, 2025, UNRWA’s administration issued a decision imposing an unpaid exceptional leave on its Gaza-based employees who are currently outside the Gaza Strip, including education staff, starting in March 2025.

Many of these employees had left Gaza with their families under compelling circumstances, primarily due to injuries they or their children sustained during the genocidal war on Gaza. They have been unable to return due to the continued closure of the Rafah border crossing. The number of affected employees is estimated to be around 750, all of whom have continued working remotely.

UNRWA justified its decision by citing a lack of funding and its inability to meet the minimum financial requirements necessary to continue approving exceptional remote work arrangements for Gaza-based employees outside the Strip, except for critical, life-saving, or operational roles. This has led to the suspension of most essential services provided by the agency.

This decision comes in parallel with the U.S. decision to suspend financial aid to UNRWA and to ban its operations in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. These actions will have catastrophic consequences for Palestinian refugees, as no other international organization is capable of replacing UNRWA’s essential services and assistance. This could lead to the collapse of vital services for Palestinian refugees, including healthcare and education.

It is also worth noting that since October 7, 2023, UNRWA has been suffering from an unprecedented financial crisis. During the genocidal war on Gaza, UNRWA was directly targeted by the Israeli occupation, resulting in:

•The killing of 270 UNRWA employees

•The destruction of two-thirds of its facilities, including those sheltering displaced families

•The arrest of 20 UNRWA employees, who are still detained in Israeli prisons

•Incitement and misinformation campaigns aimed at undermining UNRWA’s work and obstructing its funding

ICSPR Declares the Following:

•ICSPR expresses solidarity with UNRWA employees working remotely from outside Gaza, who have been subjected to unfair decisions imposed by UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini. ICSPR strongly condemns these decisions, which undermine the job security of employees who are already in desperate need of stability and support. It considers this an additional tool of oppression against Palestinian refugees.

•ICSPR affirms that the solution is not to make employees pay for the financial crisis but rather to intensify efforts to secure the necessary funding for UNRWA’s operations.

•ICSPR emphasizes that UNRWA plays a crucial international role in supporting Palestinian refugees. Any attempt to undermine its operations or reduce its funding will have dire consequences for Palestinian refugees. Furthermore, such efforts serve as part of the broader strategy to eliminate the Palestinian refugee issue and their legitimate right of return, while also undermining the two-state solution—a strategy that has been evident throughout the genocidal war through both public statements and the deliberate targeting of UNRWA staff, headquarters, and institutions.

ICSPR Calls for the Following Actions:

1.ICSPR calls on the UNRWA Commissioner-General to immediately revoke this unjust decision and find a fair solution that guarantees employees’ rights while facilitating their return to their homeland and workplace.

2.ICSPR urges the international community to reject the Israeli occupation’s oppressive measures against UNRWA, recognizing them as part of a broader strategy to entrench occupation and oppression against the Palestinian people. ICSPR calls for appropriate international action to hold Israel accountable for its crimes against UNRWA.

3.ICSPR calls on the United Nations to address any funding gaps in UNRWA’s budget and to allocate a permanent budget for the agency—similar to other UN specialized agencies—so that it can continue fulfilling its essential and emergency duties toward Palestinian refugees.

End,

International Commission to Support Palestinian Rights (ICSPR)