Palestinian refugees in West Bank fear UNRWA closure By Reuters

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© Reuters. A Palestinian holds a child in a UNRWA well being heart within the Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem within the Israeli-occupied West Financial institution, February 5, 2024. REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma

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By Yosri Al Jamal

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – In refugee camps within the Israeli-occupied West Financial institution, Palestinians counting on the U.N. company UNRWA for education and healthcare concern key companies will cease as donors have paused funding over accusations workers members took half in Hamas’ Oct. 7 assault.

Many of the concentrate on the destiny of the United Nations Reduction and Works Company for Palestinian refugees has been on its emergency operations in war-devastated Gaza the place it’s vital to an assist effort for the enclave’s 2.3 million inhabitants.

However the company can be a lifeline for Palestinian refugees throughout the Center East, together with within the West Financial institution the place it serves greater than 870,000 folks, operating 96 faculties and 43 main healthcare amenities.

“In the event that they reduce off assist from UNRWA, there shall be no assist of any sort for residents, particularly in refugee camps as a result of they depend on UNRWA,” stated Mohammad al-Masri, a resident of Dheisheh refugee camp close to Bethlehem.

UNRWA introduced final month that it had dismissed workers after Israel offered it with allegations that 12 of its 13,000 staff in Gaza had taken half within the Oct. 7 assault by Hamas fighters who stormed border fences and attacked Israeli cities.

The Islamist militant group killed round 1,200 folks, principally civilians, and dragged greater than 250 again into Gaza as hostages, based on Israeli tallies. Israel’s aerial and floor battle within the Hamas-run enclave has killed greater than 28,000 folks there, well being authorities there say.

Accusations in opposition to UNRWA have reignited longstanding Israeli calls for to dismantle an company which each side see as carefully linked to a refugee downside courting to Israel’s creation in 1948 that lies on the coronary heart of their decades-long battle.

Some 700,000 Palestinians, half the Arab inhabitants of what 75 years in the past was British-ruled Palestine, fled or had been expelled, many spilling into neighbouring Arab international locations the place they their descendants stay. The tent camps they lived in after 1948 developed into built-up townships.

With no lasting settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian battle on the horizon, they keep the standing of refugees, together with within the West Financial institution and Gaza, and assert a proper to return to their properties inside Israel’s borders.

Israel has at all times rejected that, saying they selected to depart and haven’t any proper to return. Final month Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu renewed calls for for UNRWA to be shut down, saying “it seeks to protect the difficulty of Palestinian refugees”.

REFUGEES

Daoud Faraj was 10 years outdated when his household grew to become refugees. Now 85, he has lived most of his life within the West Financial institution’s Aida refugee camp close to Jerusalem.

“Reducing off assist will damage many individuals. Not solely me,” he stated, referring to the well being companies and faculties that UNRWA manages within the camp.

The company has stated it hopes donors will evaluate their funding choices in a number of weeks after a preliminary report into Israeli accusations and UNRWA’s dealing with of them.

It has stated that it might run out of funds to function companies by the tip of February if funding just isn’t restored.

“It’s doable for UNRWA to be pressured into the worst state of affairs, which is a nightmare for us, and it’s to cease our operations. Not solely in Gaza, (however) in different areas the place we function,” stated company spokesperson Kazem Abu Khalaf.

Exterior UNRWA’s West Financial institution operations hub in Jerusalem, town’s deputy mayor Aryeh King spoke at a protest by Israelis demanding that the company be shuttered.

“It’s time that the federal government of Israel decides to cope with this organisation like an enemy,” King stated as demonstrators held up placards studying “Expel UNRWA”.