When Hussam Okal sought shelter together with his household at a coaching centre within the southern Gaza metropolis of Khan Younis in October, the United Nations Reduction and Works Company for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) staffer discovered the place full with an estimated 22,000 individuals looking out — like him — for security from Israeli bombs.
“We’re engaged on two sides. On the one facet, we’re making an attempt to maintain our households secure, and on the opposite, we’re making an attempt to serve the displaced individuals,” he stated on the time. “As UNRWA employees, we supply a humanitarian message to attempt to supply as a lot help as we are able to.”
It’s a process that the UN company has carried out since 1950 within the Gaza Strip, the occupied West Financial institution, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, serving as a lifeline for Palestinians. It runs faculties, well being programmes and extra for the Palestinian refugees and their descendants who’ve been disadvantaged of their homeland for the reason that Nakba when 750,000 Palestinians have been pressured out of their land through the 1948 creation of Israel.
For many years, its UN blue brand has been a supply of help for Palestinians. Now, in Gaza, it’s struggling to fulfil its mission, in a struggle the place the UNRWA has suffered like by no means earlier than.
Not less than 146 UNRWA staffers have been killed in Israeli bombings, the highest-ever dying toll for any UN company in a struggle. Others have misplaced their properties and relations. Like Okal, they’ve been pressured to hunt security in faculties and coaching centres their very own groups arrange previously. The struggle is scarring the company — and its management isn’t immune.
“I’m devastated and heartbroken for the individuals of Gaza,” Thomas White, the pinnacle of the UNRWA in Gaza, advised Al Jazeera in an interview. “I don’t fairly know the right way to cope with the feelings of probably the most profound sense of lack of employees members and group that you already know. Gaza is grieving,” White stated.
‘Starved of assets’
The UNRWA has labored with Palestinians by way of the a number of wars and waves of displacement they’ve endured over the previous 74 years.
But, the present struggle is in contrast to any the company has witnessed. “UNRWA have deliberate and rehearsed for such eventualities, we all know what we have to do,” White stated. “Nevertheless the size of dying and destruction in such a short while body, compounded by the very fact everyone seems to be trapped in Gaza, with nowhere that’s secure, and we’re successfully being starved of assets – which has made this enormously tough.”
Nonetheless, how the UNRWA copes with the disaster might show vital for Gaza’s 2.3 million individuals, who’ve suffered a devastating bombing marketing campaign by Israel since October 7, when Hamas fighters launched a shock assault on southern Israel, killing 1,139 individuals. Israeli bombardment has killed greater than 23,000 Palestinians in Gaza, together with almost 10,000 youngsters.
The present struggle has already displaced greater than twice the quantity pressured from their land in 1948: an estimated 1.9 million individuals have needed to go away their properties since October 7. The company has reported that 1.4 million internally displaced individuals (IDPs) are sheltering throughout 155 UNRWA-run services, primarily faculties.
That features UNRWA staffers who should settle their spouses, youngsters, siblings and fogeys, then flip to assist the a whole bunch, typically 1000’s, who had come to the identical place for assist.
“We’re working in terrifying life circumstances,” stated Okal. “Every time there may be an air raid close by, you may hear youngsters of all ages screaming and the adults making an attempt to calm them down.”
‘In reminiscence’
Earlier than the struggle, a typical day for White would contain assembly key group members, heading out to go to UNRWA employees on the company’s faculties or well being clinics and assembly individuals dwelling in refugee camps.
However on October 13, the company evacuated from Gaza Metropolis to a logistics base in Rafah within the south of the strip amid the bombing. From there, White has been watching his company come beneath assault.
Newest stories from the UNRWA point out that 132 installations have been broken, together with 63 that took direct hits. As well as, 52 faculties sustained harm and 53 took direct hits.
In instances of struggle, the UN and its companies are often handled as impartial gamers and peacemakers by all sides. This time, it’s completely different.
Gilad Erdan, Israel’s everlasting consultant to the UN, has publicly accused UNRWA staffers of hyperlinks to Hamas. He argued that “the affect of Hamas is so pervasive that it taints the objectivity of reporting and statistics offered”.
White, who has led humanitarian operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Libya, Rwanda, East Timor and the occupied West Financial institution, refused to be drawn into touch upon allegations made by Israel’s envoy to the UN. “All we’re focussed on proper now could be doing our job for the individuals of Gaza in exceptionally tough circumstances.”
Final month, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani offered the Doha Discussion board Award to UNRWA Commissioner-Basic Philippe Lazzarini, honouring the company employees for his or her humanitarian work in Gaza and all through the area.
UN convoys delivering assist within the north of the enclave have come beneath hearth from Israeli forces, regardless of being clearly marked “UN” and prior coordination to make sure that they’d be protected.
“This award is in recognition of the lifesaving and irreplaceable work that my colleagues are doing, particularly within the Gaza Strip and throughout the area,” stated Lazzarini.
White stated, “Nearly all of the employees have been displaced from the north with their households, and at the moment are dwelling in IDP shelters themselves. However, they nonetheless present as much as work each morning and put in a strong day and do an unattainable process, regardless of being exhausted.”
“They provide me energy.”
‘Don’t recognise the north any extra’
Just like the UNRWA employees, a majority of the individuals of Gaza have been pressured to depart the north of the enclave, now largely a dystopian wasteland of tens of millions of tonnes of battle particles.
White, who was posted to Gaza two and half years in the past straight from Afghanistan earlier than the autumn of Kabul, stated, “The harm is so extreme I don’t recognise the north any extra. You lose your bearings as a result of all of the landmarks have gone.”
North of Wadi Gaza, kin of the “lacking” who nonetheless lie buried, entombed in a mass of shattered concrete and contorted metal, hover the place their properties as soon as stood, listening, in hope for a miracle and looking for reminiscences. An estimated 8,000 civilians are reported lacking, feared lifeless, buried beneath the rubble, in accordance with Gaza’s Ministry of Well being.
The UNRWA’s struggles are mirrored within the experiences of different main assist suppliers too.
Khalid al-Hardan, vice chairman of the Qatar Committee for the Reconstruction of Gaza (QCRG) who has spent greater than a decade overseeing the implementation of considerable Qatari-funded initiatives in Gaza, stated the harm sustained on this struggle, in contrast with earlier wars, was merely staggering. The QCRG’s initiatives in Gaza embrace hospitals, arterial roads, regulation courts and housing.
“Folks in Gaza have the appropriate to reside like every regular human being, educate their youngsters, help their households, journey with out restriction and reside in peace. They deserve higher than this,” stated al-Hardan, talking from Gaza.
The QCRG is already conscious of extreme harm to initiatives it has supported. The Palace of Justice — Gaza’s most important court docket — positioned in az-Zahra, has been destroyed together with a number of elements of al-Rashid highway alongside the strip’s beachfront.
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Hospital accomplished in 2019 – funded by Qatar Fund for Improvement (QFFD) – which designs and manufactures probably the most superior prosthetics for these injured by battle and accident, or born with congenital defects – has additionally been closely broken.
QCRG’s most important workplace based mostly in northern Gaza sustained heavy harm attributable to Israeli troopers who entered the property regardless of a number of official warnings to not. The committee has since relocated its operation south, close to the Rafah crossing with Egypt.
Al-Hardan stated all QCRG suppliers and contractors are vetted and accredited by all events concerned, together with the UN and Israel, and initiatives are applied on the understanding they’re categorised as “civilian” infrastructure and won’t be focused in struggle.
Nonetheless, on December 2, the Hamad housing advanced within the metropolis of Khan Younis, which was inaugurated in 2016 and was one of many committee’s most up-to-date initiatives, was attacked by Israeli air raids, destroying 4 total condo blocks. Greater than 1,000 of the lodging items had been offered to Palestinians displaced by Israel’s struggle on the enclave in 2021. Al-Hardan known as the assaults “shameful”.
‘The best problem’
Final week, UN specialists stated “greater than two million Palestinians wouldn’t have sufficient meals and half of the inhabitants at the moment are ravenous” as Israel continues its lethal bombardment of the enclave.
On common, White stated, 100 assist vans are crossing over into Gaza daily now. That’s nowhere close to sufficient: by comparability, 500 vans have been crossing into the strip through the 51-day struggle in 2014. “We’ve gathered such a big deficit that the state of affairs might by no means recuperate.”
That backlog is clear, White stated, when he drives by way of camps for Gaza’s displaced individuals each afternoon. Some camps have as many as 40,000 individuals, uncovered to a deepening winter, with out sanitation or clear consuming water.
“When the winter storms come by way of, it’s going to be devastating there for these in non permanent buildings of wooden and plastic. It’s a catastrophe ready to occur,” he stated.
Meals assist stays in brief provide, too. “We’re predominantly distributing wheat flour, however we solely have sufficient shares for 24-48 hours on the bottom,” White stated. “For instance, in the present day we’re right down to 4,000 baggage of wheat flour, which is able to help 4,000 households, and that’s it. There isn’t a extra.”
“A few of our employees have suffered such big private loss and we are able to’t even help them with enough humanitarian wants.”
Sources drying up
The UNRWA supplies vital providers, together with schooling, healthcare, reduction and social providers, microfinance, infrastructure and camp enchancment, in addition to emergency meals help.
Nevertheless, rising wants and value of operations have put important stress on the company, which has lengthy reached the boundaries of its capacity to handle the continual underfunding of the final 10 years by way of price management, austerity measures and debt accumulation.
To make certain, a number of nations similar to Norway, Japan, Germany and the Gulf states are — along with contributing to the UNRWA — additionally implementing infrastructure initiatives on their very own.
Qatar has stepped up. It has contributed $74m to the company over the previous 5 years. The nation, a linchpin in mediating the humanitarian pause within the struggle, has additionally immediately invested $2.1bn within the Gaza Strip since 2012.
But Qatar too has confronted obstacles in getting assist into Gaza through the struggle. “Getting assist into Gaza has been probably the most difficult process for the State of Qatar and QFFD resulting from varied components associated to the advanced political, social, and safety state of affairs within the area,” QFFD Director-Basic Khalifa Jassim al-Kuwari stated. “Amid a relentless struggle machine that ravages and extinguishes life in Gaza, QFFD will proceed to supply essential help to the individuals of Gaza regardless of the continued difficult state of affairs.”
Medical necessities are a key focus of extra provides that the fund plans to ship to Gaza, al-Kuwari stated. “Our collaborative strategy entails working carefully with native non-governmental organisations, together with Qatar Purple Crescent and Qatar Charity, in addition to partnering with different native and worldwide entities,” he stated.
“It’s actually painful to see the continued battle, which has resulted in immense struggling for Palestinians together with ladies and youngsters. We’re conscious of the difficulties of our mission, but we stay steadfast – significantly within the face of this pressing emergency – to make sure that assist reaches those that want it most and saving lives,” al-Kuwari added.
The Israeli cupboard, going through mounting worldwide condemnation for proscribing assist to the enclave, final week opened the Karem Abu Salem (known as Kerem Shalom by Israelis) crossing to alleviate the help bottleneck on the Rafah border to fulfill their dedication of 200 vans of assist every day. It’s a promise that has not been stored up to now.
Even earlier than the struggle, the financial and social blockade of the Gaza Strip had fuelled one of many highest unemployment charges on the earth at almost 50 p.c — and 70 p.c amongst younger individuals. Virtually 81.5 p.c of the inhabitants lived under the poverty line, 700,000 lived in abject poverty and 40 p.c of the inhabitants didn’t have sufficient meals.
That panorama has now turned much more dreary.
UN figures as of December 30 reported that almost 70 p.c of Gaza’s housing items had been broken or destroyed, 352 faculties have been broken and the remaining academic services have been offering shelter to these displaced. Half of Gaza’s hospitals are out of service, and civic infrastructure, factories and companies have suffered harm.
Lazzarini, who wrote to the president of the UN Basic Meeting final month, warned that UNRWA’s capacity to fulfil its mandate in Gaza is severely restricted. The whole humanitarian response closely depends on the company’s capability, which is now on the snapping point.
Nevertheless, White defined to Al Jazeera, stopping isn’t an possibility. “I’ve advised our employees that regardless of not having the assets in hand to fulfill the wants of individuals, we’ll proceed working to the final bag of flour and the final drop of gas.”
White stated he was happy with the work his “unimaginable group right here in Gaza” had put in to deliver “first-rate faculties and well being clinics” to the individuals of the enclave.
“Within the area of almost 10 weeks, it has all been destroyed. It’s extremely unhappy actually,” he stated.
When requested what future if any for Gaza will exist when the struggle ends, White defined that planning too far forward for the long run is a luxurious he and his group can not afford.
“We’re merely centered on in the present day and tomorrow,” he stated.
Al-Hardan who has spent years together with his groups meticulously understanding the complete extent of Gaza’s dilapidated civic infrastructure defined that if Israel continues, unrestrained, and at its present tempo of destruction, Gaza might attain the purpose of no return.
“Nevertheless, with a direct and significant ceasefire this may be averted,” he stated. “However, it wants the desire and want of the free world, worldwide group and particularly the US to stress Israel to permit reconstruction supplies to circulation again into the strip.”
