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A man looks down at a crowd of people while holding a bag of flour at a UNRWA refugee camp
Image: Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/REUTERS

UNRWA

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, or UNRWA, supports relief and development aid for Palestinian refugees in the Middle East. It gets most of its funding from UN member states.

A girl looks over a railing at a pit formed behind a United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees school used as a sheltering place

What is UNRWA?

PoliticsJanuary 28, 2024
Skip next section News

News

April 24, 2024

Middle East updates: Germany resumes UNRWA cooperation

April 23, 2024

UNRWA: Review finds 'neutrality' issues, no terror proof

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Embedded external element

Skip next section Reports & Analysis

Reports & Analysis

Judges and delegates sit in the courtroom

Germany faces Gaza genocide charge at top UN court

Germany faces Gaza genocide charge at top UN court

The suit argues that by defunding UNRWA and supporting Israel, Germany is "facilitating genocide" in the Gaza Strip.
Law and JusticeApril 8, 202403:03 min
A view of destroyed buildings in Khan Younis

Palestinians return to Khan Younis

Palestinians return to Khan Younis

Meanwhile, many civilians in Gaza continue to face severe shortages of food and basic supplies.
ConflictsMarch 13, 202401:53 min
A blue-and-white sign for the UNRWA headquarters, riddled with bullet holes

EU to release funds for Palestinian aid organization UNRWA

EU to release funds for Palestinian aid organization UNRWA

Many donors have suspended funding to the Palestinian relief agency UNRWA. The EU has said it will now resume funding.
PoliticsMarch 2, 2024
Palestinian flags hang above pedestrians walking along an alley at the Shatila camp for Palestinian refugees in the southern suburb of Beirut

UNRWA funding crisis alarms Palestinians in Lebanon

UNRWA funding crisis alarms Palestinians in Lebanon

Halting vital UNRWA services to more than a quarter of a million Palestinians in Lebanon could have grave consequences.
ConflictsFebruary 28, 202403:18 min
Murals on a damaged wall of the UNRWA headquarters in Gaza City depict relief efforts.

Gaza: UNRWA at 'breaking point' as humanitarian needs soar

Gaza: UNRWA at 'breaking point' as humanitarian needs soar

What does UNRWA, the UN relief agency for Palestinians, do, and what does it mean for Gaza if it runs out of money?
ConflictsFebruary 28, 202402:42 min
A view of destruction at UNRWA headquarters, which provides aid to millions of Palestinians and works under the United Nations, after being targeted by Israel in Gaza

Will UNRWA's cash crisis lead to extremism, instability?

Will UNRWA's cash crisis lead to extremism, instability?

If the UN agency responsible for Palestinians collapses due to lack of funds, the impact will be felt well beyond Gaza.
ConflictsFebruary 20, 2024
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Skip next section In the spotlight

In the spotlight

A woman walks past the UNRWA headquarters

After US, Germany freeze aid to UNRWA, could EU follow?

The EU will review its future aid to the Palestinian refugee aid agency amid terror allegations against staff members.
ConflictsJanuary 29, 2024
Three men sit atop the rubble of destroyed houses of the Jabalia camp for Palestinian refugees

'Catastrophic' humanitarian situation in besieged Gaza

Food, fuel, medicine, water: everything is running dangerously low in the Palestinian territory.
ConflictsNovember 5, 2023