UNRWA said on 1 February that the humanitarian catastrophe affecting more than 2 million people in Gaza was at risk of worsening after 16 donor countries withdrew their financial support to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. Israeli bombardments and escalating military operations in Khan Younis have forced tens of thousands of Palestinians to flee to southern Gaza, exacerbating overcrowding in Rafah province, where more than 1.4 million people are already struggling to survive. Most of the displaced took refuge in makeshift structures, tents or in the open air, fearing that UNRWA would lose vital food and aid.
White, UNRWA's Director for Gaza Affairs, said: "Rafah has become a sea of people fleeing the bombardment. "Most of the people who fled have been displaced several times, and many have been forced to leave UNRWA-affiliated shelters, and UNRWA staff are themselves displaced and continue to deliver food and tents to the newly displaced people in the vicinity.
In the Gaza Strip, reliance on UNRWA for basic needs such as shelter, food and health was crucial, especially among its population, most of whom were women and children. As the war continues, the humanitarian situation deteriorates, and humanitarian access remains largely restricted as a result of the Israeli siege of the Gaza Strip.
Since the beginning of the war, UNRWA had limited access to the north, where famine was imminent. White said: UNRWA has received reports that people in the area are grinding bird feed to make flour. We continue to coordinate with the Israeli army in order to be able to travel to the north, but this is largely denied. When the convoy was finally allowed to travel to the area, people rushed to trucks to get food, often eating it on the spot.
UNRWA is the largest humanitarian organization in Gaza, employing some 13,000 staff, more than 3,000 of whom are actively involved in the Agency's humanitarian work despite difficult conditions. "It's hard to imagine that without UNRWA, Gazans would have survived this crisis," White added. Several countries, including Austria, Australia, Canada, Finland, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom, have followed the lead of the United States in suspending funding to the agency.