Who Benefits From Dismantling UNRWA? Abu Hasna Reveals Fallout of Targeting the Agency and the Fate of 6 Million Refugees

Adnan Abu Hasna, the media adviser to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), has affirmed that the agency continues to provide its services and carry out its duties despite the pressures and challenges it faces, warning of the repercussions of efforts aimed at ending its work on millions of Palestinian refugees.

In a press statement, Abu Hasna said that the liquidation of the agency will not end the Palestinian refugee issue, contrary to the belief held by some, stressing that "Israel" will be the first to suffer from any decision aimed at ending its existence.

He explained that UNRWA serves about 6 million registered Palestinian refugees, while more than 570,000 students receive their education in its schools, reflecting the scale of the services the agency provides to refugees.

Abu Hasna's remarks come amid protests organized by UNRWA employees on Monday in the Nuseirat camp in the central Gaza Strip, rejecting job cuts and an expected reduction in staff salaries, amid fears that these measures will affect the services provided to refugees.

Dozens of men, women and children took part in the demonstration, marching through the camp's streets toward one of the agency's schools, carrying banners demanding an end to the salary reductions and the scaling back of services, according to journalists reporting for Agence France-Presse.

Mustafa al-Ghoul, head of the Arab Employees Union in Gaza, said the protest aims to reject the dismissal of any employee, warning that laying off staff will lead to the termination of services provided to refugees and a decline in their quality.

For his part, UNRWA spokesman Jonathan Fowler acknowledged that the agency is going through unprecedented financial and operational difficulties, noting that it may be forced to take difficult decisions in the coming period, while options remain under study.

UNRWA is one of the most prominent providers of services in the Palestinian territories, delivering health care and education as well as coordinating a key part of humanitarian relief efforts in the Gaza Strip since the war broke out in October 2023.

The agency currently employs about 10,500 staff in the Gaza Strip and 4,500 in the occupied West Bank as part of its network of services for Palestinian refugees.