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A man looks down at a crowd of people while holding a bag of flour at a UNRWA refugee camp
Image: Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/REUTERS Image: Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/REUTERS

UNRWA

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, or UNRWA, supports relief and development aid for Palestinian refugees in the Middle East. It gets most of its funding from UN member states.

A girl looks over a railing at a pit formed behind a United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees school used as a sheltering place

What is UNRWA?

PoliticsJanuary 28, 2024
Skip next section All Content on this topic

All Content on this topic

View of a United Nations employee in a blue t-shirt inspecting the rubble inside a destroyed building

Dozens killed in Israeli attack on UN-run school

At least 37 people have been killed in an Israeli airstrike on a school sheltering displaced Palestinians in Gaza.
ConflictsJune 6, 202401:58 min
A destroyed UNRWA school building in Gaza

UNRWA: Review finds 'neutrality' issues, no terror proof

A review of UNRWA's neutrality was prompted by unproven Israeli accusations that aid workers in Gaza were terrorists.
ConflictsApril 23, 2024
Judges and delegates sit in the courtroom

Germany faces Gaza genocide charge at top UN court

The suit argues that by defunding UNRWA and supporting Israel, Germany is "facilitating genocide" in the Gaza Strip.
Law and JusticeApril 8, 202403:03 min
A view of destroyed buildings in Khan Younis

Palestinians return to Khan Younis

Meanwhile, many civilians in Gaza continue to face severe shortages of food and basic supplies.
ConflictsMarch 13, 202401:53 min
A blue-and-white sign for the UNRWA headquarters, riddled with bullet holes

EU to release funds for Palestinian aid organization UNRWA

Many donors have suspended funding to the Palestinian relief agency UNRWA. The EU has said it will now resume funding.
PoliticsMarch 2, 2024
Palestinian flags hang above pedestrians walking along an alley at the Shatila camp for Palestinian refugees in the southern suburb of Beirut

UNRWA funding crisis alarms Palestinians in Lebanon

Halting vital UNRWA services to more than a quarter of a million Palestinians in Lebanon could have grave consequences.
ConflictsFebruary 28, 202403:18 min
Murals on a damaged wall of the UNRWA headquarters in Gaza City depict relief efforts.

Gaza: UNRWA at 'breaking point' as humanitarian needs soar

What does UNRWA, the UN relief agency for Palestinians, do, and what does it mean for Gaza if it runs out of money?
ConflictsFebruary 28, 202402:42 min
A view of destruction at UNRWA headquarters, which provides aid to millions of Palestinians and works under the United Nations, after being targeted by Israel in Gaza

Will UNRWA's cash crisis lead to extremism, instability?

If the UN agency responsible for Palestinians collapses due to lack of funds, the impact will be felt well beyond Gaza.
ConflictsFebruary 20, 2024
A young girl in a pink top is seen handing a blue tupperware box over a wall to a waiting hand, amid a countless other hands holding metal pots and plastic containers.

UNRWA asks for EU funds to maintain lifesaving aid delivery

The UN's Palestinian relief agency has said its funding must continue, despite the serious allegations made against it.
ConflictsFebruary 12, 2024
Spain's Social Affairs Minister Pablo Bustinduy is seen here speaking into a DW microphone.

UNRWA funding exit is 'collective punishment'

Spain's social affairs minister warns Germany against halting funds for the UN aid agency for Palestinian refugees.
ConflictsFebruary 9, 202412:12 min
Annalena Baerbock at the Rafah border crossing

Germany's Middle East policy has reached a dead end

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the two-state solution that Germany backs.
PoliticsJanuary 31, 2024
Antony Blinken

Blinken urges UNRWA to immediately probe allegations

The US Secretary of State urged the UN agency to look into the "deeply troubling" allegations against its staff.
PoliticsJanuary 29, 2024
A woman walks past the UNRWA headquarters

After US, Germany freeze aid to UNRWA, could EU follow?

The EU will review its future aid to the Palestinian refugee aid agency amid terror allegations against staff members.
ConflictsJanuary 29, 2024
A truck, marked with United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) logo, crosses into Egypt from Gaza

UNRWA operations may grind to a halt due to lack of funding

Funding to UNRWA is drying up after accusations that staff members were involved in the October 7 attacks in Israel.
ConflictsJanuary 29, 202402:15 min
A girl looks over a railing at a pit formed behind a United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees school used as a sheltering place

What is UNRWA?

Here's what you need to know about the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
PoliticsJanuary 28, 2024
A truck marked with United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) logo leaves the Gaza Strip.

UNRWA's humanitarian work remains critical in Gaza, UN warns

The suspension of funding for the UN's Palestinian refugee agency could hardly have come at a worse time.
ConflictsJanuary 28, 202402:04 min
Aid workers sit in the back of a UNRWA truck

Guterres urges continued support for UNRWA

Several nations have paused funding after allegations tying some of the agency's staff to Hamas attacks on Israel.
ConflictsJanuary 28, 2024
A Palestinian refugee girl stands at a fence with drying laundry in south Lebanon

Palestinians in the Middle East: Where and how do they live?

While Palestinians in the region have different legal statuses and integration levels, most uphold a right to return.
PoliticsNovember 29, 2023
People search through buildings destroyed during Israeli air raids on Al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza City

'We are witnessing a humanitarian tragedy in Gaza'

A top UN official responsible for Palestinian refugees says that winter will make the situation in Gaza much worse.
Human RightsNovember 15, 202326:57 min
People search through buildings destroyed during Israeli air raids on Al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza City

'We are witnessing a humanitarian tragedy in Gaza'

A top UN official responsible for Palestinian refugees says that winter will make the situation in Gaza much worse.
Human RightsNovember 15, 202326:06 min
Three men sit atop the rubble of destroyed houses of the Jabalia camp for Palestinian refugees

'Catastrophic' humanitarian situation in besieged Gaza

Food, fuel, medicine, water: everything is running dangerously low in the Palestinian territory.
ConflictsNovember 5, 2023
People wearing high-visibility yellow vests stand alongside a long truck, waving Egyptian flags

Gaza: How much humanitarian aid is getting through?

The first aid convoys from Egypt crossed into the Gaza Strip over the weekend. Here's what we know about the deliveries.
ConflictsOctober 24, 2023
A Palestinian carries sacks containing wheat flour from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees on his shoulders.

UNRWA spokesperson: 'We need humanitarian access'

ConflictsOctober 14, 202301:01 min
A man carries a little girl while walking over debris in a street in Gaza City. A woman with a head scarf carrying a backpack and a man with a plastic bag over his shoulder follow closely behind.

Israeli bombardment 'recurring nightmare' for Gaza residents

After a massive Hamas terror attack against Israel, the civilian population in the Gaza Strip is paying a high price.
ConflictsOctober 12, 2023
Graffiti in Burj Barajneh camp in Beirut, Lebanon

Palestinians in Lebanon: 'The world has forgotten us'

Things are getting harder and harder for displaced Palestinians in Lebanon.
PoliticsApril 2, 2021
A Palestinian carries UNWRA aid sacks on his shoulder

UN agency for Palestinian refugees on the verge of collapse

The UN agency supporting Palestinian refugees is fast running out of funds to support those in need.
PoliticsNovember 19, 2020
The Commissioner-General of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees Philippe Lazzarini, speaks during an interview, seated in front of the UN logo

Is UNRWA perpetuating unsustainable dependence?

UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini tells DW he's confident that one day his organization will become obsolete.
SocietyOctober 21, 202005:35 min
Pierre Krähenbühl

UN Palestinian refugee agency boss quits

The head of the UN relief agency for Palestinian refugees, Pierre Krähenbühl, resigned amid a misconduct inquiry.
PoliticsNovember 6, 2019
UNRWA chief Pierre Krähenbühl

Swiss cut UN Palestinian refugee agency funding

The Swiss government is to suspend funding of the UN Palestinian agency after a report raised governance concerns.
SocietyJuly 30, 2019
Palestinian refugees collect aid parcels at a United Nations food distribution center in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on January 28, 2018

UN agency for Palestinians rejects US criticism

The US says it is time for host countries in the region to deal with Palestinian refugees.
SocietyMay 23, 2019
Palestinian refugees at a UN-run school in Lebanon

UN to open Palestinian schools despite US cuts

Even with a budget shortfall, UNRWA said it is crucial to "protect the fundamental right to education."
SocietyAugust 16, 2018
Gazastreifen UNRWA Protest Versorgung Palästinenser

EU pledges €42.5 million to Palestinians

The EU has promised an extra €42.5 million to Palestinians for state-building efforts.
PoliticsJanuary 31, 2018
Palestinian children hold bread during a protest against aid cuts

Countries speed up funding for Palestinians after US cuts

Eleven countries have rushed to deliver their donations to the UN agency for Palestinians after the US withheld its aid.
PoliticsJanuary 30, 2018
Palestinian carrying a bag of wheat distributed by the UNRWA | Symbolbild UNWRA (Said Khatib/AFP/Getty Images)

US withholds millions from Palestinian aid programs

The US State Department has demanded that the UN aid agency UNRWA "fundamentally re-examine" its work.
PoliticsJanuary 16, 2018
Benjamin Netanyahu speaks in Brussels with an Israeli flag behind him.

Netanyahu urges end to Palestinian refugee agency

Netanyahu's move comes a few days after President Trump threatened that he would cut off US aid to Palestinians.
ConflictsJanuary 7, 2018
Trump mural in Bethlehem

The effects of cutting US aid to Palestinians

Donald Trump's threat to slash aid to the Palestinian territories could have dire consequences for people on the ground.
PoliticsJanuary 4, 2018
Flüchtlingslager nahe Damaskus unter Beschuß

Refugees under siege

A renewed offensive south of Damascus by Syrian government forces is putting a beleaguered Palestinian camp at risk.
PoliticsOctober 18, 2016
Gaza palästinensische Schülerin in Beit Hanoun

Challenging times

After three years as Gaza's UNRWA director, Robert Turner is leaving his post.
July 15, 2015
Yarmouk Camp Damascus Syrien

"Yarmouk is a hell hole"

Thousands of Palestinians are caught up in Syria's war, living in horrific conditions in the Yarmouk camp in Damascus.
April 6, 2015
Yarmouk Camp Damascus Syrien

Around 2,000 people evacuated from Yarmouk

After the IS extremists have seized the majority of Yarmouk, around 2,000 people have been evacuated from the camp.
April 5, 2015

Hope for Gaza?

The UN's Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) is key in providing help for Gazans as they rebuild their homes. Ahead of Cairo's donor conference, DW talked to the agency's deputy director about the challenges ahead.
October 12, 2014
Palestinian children take refuge from an Israeli ground invasion and air strikes at a United Nations school in Jabaliya in the Gaza Strip (Photo: REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly)

Hope fades in Gaza

As war continues to rage in Gaza, the local population is preparing itself for a drawn-out conflict.
August 21, 2014
Man makes coffee next to one of the destroyed Nada Towers

At the brink

After five weeks of war, people are fighting to survive in Gaza.
August 14, 2014
Gazastreifen Nahostkonflikt Bodenoffensive

Gaza death toll soars

The death toll in Gaza has soared to more than 270 in the Gaza Strip as Israel pushes on with its ground offensive. According to the United Nations, the number of displaced has "almost doubled" in the last 24 hours.
July 18, 2014
Israel Angriffe auf Gaza 16.07.2014

Truce brief and fragile

A 5-hour truce has expired after giving Gaza Palestinians and Israelis brief relief from 10 days of warfare. Gaza's Hamas rulers and Israel deny reports that a full ceasefire will start Friday. Clashes have resumed.
July 17, 2014
Palestinians flee Gaza on horse-drawn carriage

Palestinians flee northern Gaza

Thousands of Palestinians have fled to refugee shelters after Israel warned residents to evacuate their homes in the northern Gaza Strip. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has warned Israel against a ground offensive.
July 14, 2014

Fears of deportation

Lebanon wants to restrict the number of Syrian refugees it allows to enter to the country.
June 6, 2014

Aid reaches besieged camp

Food aid has entered the besieged Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus for the first time in four months. The delivery comes after reports that dozens of people in the camp have died of hunger and lack of medical aid.
January 18, 2014
The UN compound up in smoke after being hit by a bomb

Bombing Campaign

A UN compound in Gaza has been hit by what observers say are phosphorus shells sent by Israel.
January 15, 2009