UNRWA provides education, healthcare and relief for Palestine refugees

Why UNRWA was established

The UN General Assembly established UNRWA in 1949 to assist and protect Palestine refugees. The agency began operating in 1950, according to the International Court of Justice’s historical summary accompanying its October 2025 advisory opinion. Its work combines public services, including schools and healthcare, with emergency relief.

Where it works

UNRWA operates in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the occupied Palestinian territory: the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza. These constitute its five operational fields. Its mandate was broadened by the General Assembly on 4 July 1967 to cover assistance for people displaced during that year’s hostilities.

What services it provides

The agency’s programmes cover education, training, healthcare, direct relief and development services. UNRWA also describes work providing food, emergency accommodation, water, sanitation, cash assistance, psychosocial support and protection. Its services in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria include assistance for displaced and otherwise vulnerable Palestine refugees.

UNRWA says its schools use host-government textbooks, which it checks against UN values and UNESCO standards. It says teachers receive training to address problematic content and that lessons are supplemented with human-rights, conflict-resolution and tolerance education. Schooling generally ends after grade nine, except in Lebanon, before pupils transfer to local schools.

Funding and financial pressures

Donor funding decisions affect both emergency assistance and regular programmes. Some donors paused contributions following Israeli allegations against staff in January 2024. The UK Foreign Office subsequently announced a £21 million funding restart, divided between a Gaza emergency appeal and UNRWA’s programme budget, citing reassurance from a neutrality review and subsequent reforms.

In its June 2026 statement, UNRWA reported $175 million in cost reductions during 2025 and a 20% cut in service hours in January 2026. It still projected a $100 million cashflow deficit for 2026. Its interim chief warned that further funding was needed to prevent services deteriorating across the region.

The staff allegations and neutrality review

UNRWA said Israeli officials alleged that 12 employees participated in the 7 October 2023 attack against Israel. In January 2024, the agency decided to terminate their appointments to safeguard aid delivery. It separately rejected broader institutional allegations, saying it had received no evidence supporting claims about links involving roughly 10% of its Gaza staff.

Two separate processes followed. The UN Office of Internal Oversight Services investigated specific staff allegations, while a panel headed by Catherine Colonna examined UNRWA’s neutrality safeguards. The panel submitted its report on 20 April 2024. In June 2026, UNRWA said it had fully implemented 40 of its 50 recommendations.

Israeli restrictions on operations

The Knesset passed two laws restricting UNRWA on 28 October 2024; they took effect on 30 January 2025. Israel also ordered the agency to stop operating in East Jerusalem and leave its premises. A UN statement rejected the order as inconsistent with Israel’s international obligations and the immunity of UN premises.

Services as of October 2026

In its report covering 7–20 October 2026, UNRWA reported about 10,500 Palestinian personnel delivering services in Gaza and more than 4,000 in the occupied West Bank. It said Israel had prevented international staff from entering the occupied Palestinian territory since late January 2025.

The same report recorded 105,955 children attending activities at 84 temporary learning spaces and 65,000 displaced people staying in 113 emergency shelters. UNRWA said insecurity, evacuation orders and shortages of fuel and spare parts continued to interrupt services.