Today, the Commissioner-General ad interim of UNRWA, Christian Saunders, took the decision to terminate the employment of 70 UNRWA staff members in Gaza with immediate effect.
The decision was taken further to an assessment of the safety and security of UNRWA operations in Gaza.
UNRWA has repeatedly asked the Israeli authorities to provide information and evidence to substantiate allegations against individual UNRWA staff members in Gaza but has received no response to date.
The dismissal of the staff is not part of a disciplinary process and does not constitute in any way a validation of the claims made against them.
The decision was taken in the interests of the Agency as provided for by UNRWA's legal framework. Its purpose is to mitigate safety and security risks for the refugees the Agency serves under its mandate and for UNRWA personnel and premises.
UNRWA, similar to other United Nations entities, does not have police or intelligence capacities and must rely on the cooperation and assistance of Member States, including the State of Israel as the Occupying Power, to protect its operations and neutrality amid high risks in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
The Agency reiterates the urgent need to ensure the protection of all UNRWA personnel, other humanitarian workers, and civilians; to uphold and respect the neutrality of humanitarian organizations by all parties; and to ensure accountability for violations of international law committed by parties to the conflict.
UNRWA is the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. The United Nations General Assembly established UNRWA in 1949 with a mandate to provide humanitarian assistance and protection to registered Palestine Refugees in the Agency's area of operations pending a just and lasting solution to their plight.
UNRWA operates in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians lost their homes and livelihoods due to the 1948 War. Amid a failure to find a just and lasting solution to the plight of that generation of Palestine Refugees and subsequent ones, millions continue to be displaced and in need of support, over 75 years on.
UNRWA helps Palestine Refugees achieve their full potential in human development. It does this through quality services it provides in education, health care, relief and social services, protection, camp infrastructure and improvement, microfinance, and emergency assistance. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions.
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