The senior deputy director of UNRWA affairs in Gaza announced on Tuesday that the region has adequate food supplies to last through the end of July, though the agency faces challenges in compensating staff responsible for delivering aid.
During a press briefing in Rafah, Egypt, Scott Anderson reported that UNRWA is currently providing food for 1.1 million people in Gaza. The agency is also a major provider of primary healthcare and administers 80% of the vaccinations for children throughout the area.
Anderson highlighted the dire situation in Gaza, stating, “If you open the gate tomorrow, more than half the people in Gaza would like to leave. They don’t see much of a future. The scale of destruction in the north, in particular, is unprecedented.”
Funding challenges arose in January when Israel accused 12 UNRWA staff members of participating in an Oct. 7 attack by Hamas militants, leading 16 countries to suspend a total of $450 million in contributions to the agency.
UNRWA employs 13,000 individuals in Gaza to operate schools, healthcare clinics, and other social services while distributing humanitarian aid. According to the U.N., about 3,000 staff members are currently active in aid delivery in Gaza, where 576,000 people—approximately one quarter of the population—are on the brink of famine.
