The Office of the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People strongly appealed to donors who have suspended their funding to UNRWA to reverse such decisions, which jeopardize the Agency’s humanitarian and stabilization efforts throughout the region, especially in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

The UN office reiterated its firm support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and its indispensable mission.

He stressed the need to stop attempts to distort the agency's image, and supported the Secretary-General's decision to conduct an independent investigation into the Israeli allegations that affected a number of its employees.

The UN office expressed deep concern about the catastrophic conditions in Gaza and the obstacles to implementing UNRWA’s mandate, noting that recent reports of malnutrition, threats of famine, the spread of disease, and limited access to basic health care among Palestine refugees highlight the urgent need to increase support to UNRWA. To implement interim measures ordered by the International Court of Justice.

The office stressed that UNRWA's role extends beyond humanitarian efforts - "it symbolizes the international community's commitment to justice, human rights, peace and refugee rights."

He pointed out that supporting UNRWA "means standing by the Palestinian people until a just and lasting solution to the Palestine issue is reached in accordance with United Nations resolutions and international law."

The office acknowledged the role of UNRWA as a lifeline for Palestine refugees over the past 75 years, as UNRWA provides not only basic services, but also a sense of hope and stability amid protracted crises and injustice.

The UN office renewed its urgent call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, to put an end to the forced displacement of Palestinians, and to provide unimpeded access to humanitarian assistance.

In a related context, 17 international non-governmental organizations working in the field of relief expressed serious concern about the current and potential suspension of funding for UNRWA.

In a joint statement, she stressed the need for the European Union and member states to maintain funding for UNRWA.

It warned that donor countries' suspension of their funding to UNRWA - at a time when famine is looming and disease outbreaks are worsening - will affect life-saving assistance to more than two million civilians, half of whom are children.

International organizations urged the European Union and member states to take into account that other aid agencies cannot replicate UNRWA's central role in the humanitarian response in Gaza, and "in the midst of the current crisis, many of them will struggle to maintain their current operations without UNRWA's partnership and support."

NGOs warned of the risk of complete collapse of the already constrained humanitarian response if the funding suspension was not reversed, leading to avoidable loss of life.

It urged the European Union and Member States to reaffirm their support for the vital work being done by UNRWA and its partners to help Palestinians survive “one of the worst humanitarian disasters of our time.”

It concluded her statement by saying: “While accountability is critical, and a rigorous and credible investigation into these allegations should be supported, this can and must be achieved without further suffering for the civilian population of Gaza.”

Among the organizations that signed the statement: CARE International, Save the Children, and Oxfam.

In a related context, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini stressed that it is unrealistic to believe that we can dispense with the agency because its activities are multiple and important.

In response to calls to dismantle it, Lazzarini told a number of journalists at the agency’s headquarters in occupied Jerusalem on Thursday, “It would be somewhat short-sighted to believe that UNRWA can only technically transfer all its activities to other United Nations agencies or to non-governmental organizations.”

He added, "UNRWA provides services similar to those provided by a government to one of the most disadvantaged groups in the region, namely Palestinian refugees."

He particularly emphasized the health care and education provided by the agency. He said, "With the exception of an administrative and functional state, no one can provide education at all levels, on this scale," as UNRWA does, which runs schools for about 300,000 children in the Gaza Strip.

“We are the most established organization” in Gaza, he said, adding, “We provide a complete logistical platform for the rest of the humanitarian community.”

He stressed that "if UNRWA leaves Gaza today, at the height of the crisis... this will weaken our collective ability to respond to unprecedented humanitarian needs."

The UN agency, established in 1949, employs about 30,000 people in the occupied Palestinian territories (including 13,000 people in the Gaza Strip), Lebanon, Jordan and Syria, where it provides support to about two million Palestinian refugees.

Although "Israel has not yet provided any evidence to UNRWA" regarding its accusations, according to the United Nations, some countries have announced the suspension of funding for the agency. An internal investigation was opened, while another investigation was assigned to an independent group to evaluate the agency and its “neutrality.”

Lazzarini expressed his regret that these accusations "raise concern among our employees... and generate a certain amount of tension" in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

He also considered that the calls for dismantling UNRWA aim to “deal with the issue of the refugee situation without having to go through a political process,” and the Palestinians will view it as “a betrayal by the international community.”

The UN official stressed that UNRWA is still a temporary organization and that its goal “remains to deliver all the services (it provides) to an effective state” upon its establishment.

After recently confirming that UNRWA had reached a “breaking point,” Philippe Lazzarini is scheduled to speak before the United Nations General Assembly on Monday.