XUNICEF News and Views

UNRWA demands “urgent clarification” over UN meeting with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation The New Humanitarian — August 13, 2025 Click here for the article Summary UNRWA’s Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini has issued a leaked letter to UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher demanding “urgent clarification” following a meeting on August 6 involving the UN and major aid organizations with the U.S.- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

Report shared by Robert Cohen Click here for the article Summary This exhaustive strategic assessment of UNRWA, commissioned under the UN80 initiative, warns that the agency faces existential threats from political pressure, funding collapse, and operational obstruction—primarily by Israel.

Video shared by Malika Abrous Please post this information on the XUNICEF website. Malika

Statement shared by Robert Cohen Statement by Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of UNRWA at the United Nations Security Council 28 January 2025, New York

 Article shared by Fouad Kronfol In today’s Al Jazeera Op Ed a great article by Christofer Gunnes on the Israeli govt scoring a « self goal » by banning UNRWA in its occupied territories. He argues, correctly I might add, that removing UNRWA and its aid makes ,in legal and humanitarian law terms, all Palestinian refugees come under the responsibility of UNHCR ,one of whose main policies is the return of refugees to their homeland. In fact I remember someone telling me when I joined UNICEF that both US and Israel were instrumental in creating UNRWA in 1948/49 as a separate agency for Palestinian refugees , precisely because they did not want them to be taken care of by UNHCR under whose mandate would have to accept repatriation to Palestine…

On Monday, November 4, 2024, Israel's Foreign Ministry officially notified the United Nations that it has cancelled the agreement under which UNRWA operates. This follows last month's Knesset decision to ban UNRWA from operating in Israel by the end of 2024.

"UNRWA is the main UN agency providing essential services and protection to Palestinians in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and is the backbone of the humanitarian response in Gaza. As the Secretary-General has said, ‘there is no alternative to UNRWA.’

Article shared by Baquer Namazi The whole world, the UN and even the US government have reacted very negatively to this one more act of impunity. Yet the present Government in Israel continues its genocidal actions. I am relying more and more on the many justice seeking Jewish humanists in US and in Israel to place sufficient pressure on Israel to cease and desist.

Six UN staff employed by UNRWA were among 34 people killed on Wednesday in two Israeli airstrikes on a UN school converted into a shelter for displaced persons.

According to this article Israel has been using targetted advertisements in Search, News, and YouTube to undermine support for UNRWA in certain countries.

Click here Excerpt: "We were sleeping, and at two in the morning, missiles rained down on us. They pulled us from under the rubble, and all we saw were shrapnel, debris, and dust. I am in shock and can't comprehend that my father is dead! How will we live? All my siblings are so young! Our support and backbone has been broken,”

Josep Borrell, the EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy and vice-president of the European Commission, said that all EU donors have now resumed their support to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (Unrwa). I commend the initiative in favour of @UNRWA , an indispensable lifeline in Gaza and in the region. All EU donors have now resumed their support to the Agency, still in critical financial situation. We have to step up our support; the needs are only growing. https://t.co/wOHmu3RdQx — Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) May 23, 2024

Dear UNRWA friends,

  Article shared by Viviane Sakkal

Article shared by Tom McDermott Click here for the article on UN News UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric on Friday presented the first update on the OIOS investigation of 12 staff members of UNRWA who Israel alleged were involved in the 7 October Hamas-led attacks. OIOS has closed one of the cases because Israel had not provided any supporting evidence.  OIOS has suspended three other cases “as the information provided by Israel is not sufficient for OIOS to proceed with an investigation”.  UNRWA is now also considering what administrative action to take in those three cases. Eight other staff remain under investigation by OIOS. 

Click here to download the report or see below : See also: Report says Israel has not presented evidence - Washington Post The purpose of the Group The Group was formed to evaluate UNRWA's efforts in maintaining neutrality and addressing allegations of serious neutrality violations, particularly in Gaza. This came after Israel's government claimed in January 2024 that some UNRWA staff may have been involved in the terror attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023. The UN Secretary-General also initiated a separate investigation by the UN's OIOS to verify these allegations, which, if proven true, would be both horrifying and a severe breach of their duties to the Organization. The report's main conclusions and recommendations Based on the provided excerpt from the UN independent panel's report on UNRWA, the main recommendations are: 1. Improve engagement and transparency with donors through regular financial updates and briefings on neutrality issues. 2. Strengt...

Former French FM Catherine Colonna headed the review Article shared by Tom McDermott "Former French foreign minister Catherine Colonna, who led the review group, called the agency “indispensable and irreplaceable” in a news conference Monday. “As we speak, at this critical time, UNRWA has a vital role in the humanitarian response in Gaza,” she added." "Colonna and a trio of Scandinavian research institutions did not examine the Oct. 7 accusations; those claims are being probed separately by investigators from the U.N. Office of Internal Oversight Services, which is expected to release its own report later this year." Click here for the article in the Washington Post

17 April 2024 Mr. President, Members of the Council, This is a time of seismic change in the Middle East. At the heart of this region, the United Nations Agency for Palestine Refugees – UNRWA – is a stabilizing force. In Gaza, the Agency is the backbone of the humanitarian operation, coordinating and providing lifesaving assistance. Beyond Gaza, it has championed human development for Palestine Refugees for decades across the region. Today, an insidious campaign to end UNRWA’s operations is underway, with serious implications for international peace and security. It is in this context that the Council is asked to consider the existential challenges confronting the Agency. Mr. President, Six months of relentless bombardment and a merciless siege have transformed Gaza beyond recognition. Homes, schools, and hospitals have been reduced to rubble, under which countless bodies lie. Children are bearing the brunt of this war. More than 17,000 are separated from their families, left to face...