UNRWA Chief: Efforts to Dissolve Agency Aim to Strip Palestinians of Refugee Status
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini has issued a stark warning regarding the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, asserting that the intense political pressure to dismantle the agency is driven by an ulterior motive: to unilaterally revoke the refugee status of millions of Palestinians.
Speaking on the worsening conditions in the enclave, Lazzarini stated, “It is true also that they continue to be political pressure to get rid of the agency, because the main political motivation is to strip the Palestinian from the refugee status.”
Catastrophic Conditions in Gaza
Lazzarini described the situation in Gaza as a “man-made famine,” warning that the territory has become a “graveyard of international humanitarian law.” According to recent UNRWA reports from early February 2026, the breakdown of civil order and severe restrictions on aid access have left over two million people in desperate conditions. Vital water and sanitation systems have been devastated, and the agency warns that the population is facing acute starvation and disease outbreaks. Lazzarini emphasized that despite the critical needs, bureaucratic hurdles and legislative bans are strangling the humanitarian response, pushing the enclave past a “turning point” of recovery.
Israeli Objections and Allegations
The pressure Lazzarini refers to stems largely from long-standing Israeli criticisms of the agency. Israeli officials argue that UNRWA perpetuates the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by granting refugee status to the descendants of those displaced in 1948—a practice they claim is unique to UNRWA and distinct from the mandate of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Israel contends that this policy artificially inflates the number of refugees and fuels the Palestinian demand for a “Right of Return,” which Israel views as a demographic threat to its existence as a Jewish state.
Furthermore, relations between Israel and UNRWA hit a nadir following allegations that a small number of UNRWA staff members were involved in the October 7, 2023, attacks. Citing these terror links and accusing the agency of being infiltrated by Hamas, the Israeli Knesset passed legislation in late 2024 banning UNRWA from operating within Israeli territory and prohibiting state officials from having contact with the agency. Israeli representatives have repeatedly called for UNRWA’s responsibilities to be transferred to other bodies like the World Food Programme or a new local entity.
Context and Mandate
Established by the UN General Assembly in 1949, UNRWA is mandated to provide services—including education, healthcare, and social relief—to Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank, and Gaza pending a “just and lasting solution” to their plight. While critics focus on the inheritance of refugee status, UNRWA maintains that this practice is consistent with international norms for protracted refugee situations where no political solution has been found.
Currently, UNRWA is the primary humanitarian backbone in Gaza, employing thousands of staff who run shelters and clinics. Aid organizations and donor nations have warned that dismantling the agency without a viable political alternative would cause the complete collapse of the humanitarian aid system in Gaza, as no other entity possesses the necessary infrastructure or logistics capacity to replace it immediately.
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