UNRWA, facing possible closure, keeps low profile and prepares drastic cuts

The ruins of a UNRWA building in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem, on January 20, 2026. ILIA YEFIMOVICH/AFP During a committee meeting at the headquarters of UNRWA, the United Nations agency dedicated to Palestinian refugees in the Middle East, acting UNRWA Commissioner General Christian Saunders was sparing with details when speaking about the people of Gaza, who have "already endured so much," on Thursday, November 12.

He did not mention the war – the annihilation of the Gaza Strip by Israel in retaliation for the massacres Hamas committed on October 7, 2023 – nor the Israeli airstrikes that have been conducted since, despite the ceasefire in place. He also did not name those responsible for the "restrictions" that currently weighing down UNRWA. In the discussion that followed Saunders' speech, several diplomats, particularly those from Europe, were less diplomatic in their statements: They denounced the devastation of the Palestinian enclave and condemned the obstacles Israel has imposed on UNRWA, citing the demolition of its East Jerusalem headquarters in January and a ban on its activities within Israeli territory, both of which have limited its ability to operate in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Meanwhile, Saunders's restraint did not temper the ire of the Israeli representative, who labeled UNRWA "the arsonist" of the Middle East. You have 86.97% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.