UNRWA warns cuts may force shutdown as Gaza death toll hits 27,019

The UN aid agency for Palestinian refugees said Thursday that international funding cuts may force the shutdown of its operations across the region “by the end of February.”

Several major donor countries to UNRWA said they would suspend funding after Israel alleged 12 agency employees took part in Hamas’s October 7 attack.

UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said that “if the funding remains suspended, we will most likely be forced to shut down our operations by end of February not only in Gaza but also across the region.”

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said after talks with Lazzarini that he “emphasized the immediate need for the international community to support UNRWA, which plays an indispensable role for Palestinian refugees, serving as a lifeline for over two million Palestinians facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis in Gaza.”

A foreign ministry statement in Amman said that both Safadi and Lazzarini urged countries that have suspended aid to UNRWA to “reconsider their decision.”

“Any reduction in financial support provided to the agency will exacerbate the suffering of the people of Gaza, who are already on the brink of mass starvation,” the statement said.

In its latest update, the UN reported heavy bombardment across the Gaza Strip, particularly in Khan Younis, while it said 184,000 more Palestinians from the city had registered to receive humanitarian assistance after fleeing their homes in recent days.

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Thursday at least 27,019 people have been killed in nearly four months of war between Palestinian militants and Israel.

A ministry statement said some 66,139 people have been wounded in Gaza since the war broke out on October 7.