Since 1948, UNRWA has operated in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (oPT), Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon, providing registered Palestinian refugees with education, healthcare, social services, infrastructure and camp improvements, microfinance, and emergency assistance. From 7 October 2023, the Agency has faced increasing curtailment imposed by the Government of Israel, severely restricting their operations across the oPT, the expulsion of all its international staff from Israeli-controlled territories, and the forced closure of its premises in East Jerusalem.
UNRWA continues operating in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, despite the active war in Gaza and the heavy restrictions. UNRWA staff provides aid to the most vulnerable, including psychosocial support, as the daily exposure to violent killing, bombings, drones, displacement and lack of all basic resources is having a devastating impact on the mental health of the population.
The UN estimates that there are around 50 million tonnes of rubble in Gaza – the equivalent of approximately 10,000 Eiffel Towers in terms of weight.
Since 2 March 2025, no humanitarian aid has entered Gaza and stockpiles available inside the strip are depleted. This is the longest period of aid blockage since the start of the war.
The Agency estimates that since October 2023, they have provided the entire population of Gaza with some form of humanitarian aid.
The European Union has funded UNRWA’s emergency operations in oPT since 2011, providing approximately €144 million of humanitarian assistance in total.
Nineteen months of brutal war have forcibly displaced the entire population of Gaza multiple times.
Across the Strip, UNRWA operates more than 100 shelters where tens of thousands of people are forced to live in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions.
With EU funding, UNRWA teams constantly work to improve water, sanitation, and hygiene conditions in shelters by installing emergency toilet units, handwashing stations, repairing sewage systems, and providing safe water.
‘Every day, I walk a long distance and wait for hours in long lines just to get water. All I wish for is for this war to end’, says 10-year-old Fatima.
The EU funds UNRWA to support water trucking across the Strip, while also repairing water networks.
‘We no longer want anything... we're just waiting for death’, says a woman from Khan Younis.
The EU funds UNRWA to provide children, families and vulnerable adults with psychosocial support.
‘I came to get the flour from under the rubble – just so I could feed myself and my children, but it’s all scattered on the ground’, says a mother from Jabalia.
The UN estimates that there are around 50 million tonnes of rubble in Gaza.
As a result of the almost total destruction of civilian infrastructure during the war, Gaza no longer has a functioning solid waste management system.
With EU support, UNRWA conducts waste management activities and manages to collect 200 tonnes of solid waste daily.
‘All people are asking, is when will the food come. When will the aid be allowed in. It's beyond desperate now’, says an UNRWA worker in Gaza.
In Gaza, children are caught in crisis – humanitarian aid is urgently needed to protect their lives and preserve their future.
