Date: 20 July 2025
Abu Holi Urges International Community to Uphold Its Commitments to Support UNRWA and Palestinian Refugees, Reject Any Curtailment of its Mandate
He called for international action to halt aggression in the West Bank, secure a ceasefire in Gaza, deliver humanitarian aid, and protect holy sites.
He reaffirmed the Palestinian vision for confronting challenges, as articulated by the President in international forums.
He urged the UN to officially declare famine in Gaza, hold Israel accountable, and end impunity.
Cairo, 20 July 2025 – The 113th session of the Conference of Supervisors of Palestinian Refugee Affairs in Host Arab Countries opened today at the Arab League headquarters. Official delegations from member states participated, alongside representatives from UNRWA, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the Arab League’s Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization.
In his opening address, Dr. Ahmed Abu Holi—member of the PLO Executive Committee and head of the Refugee Affairs Department—conveyed President Mahmoud Abbas's greetings. He stressed that the conference takes place amid an unprecedented Israeli escalation, manifesting as a genocidal war targeting the Palestinian people, taking direct aim at refugee camps and UNRWA.
Dr. Abu Holi emphasized that the occupation is actively seeking to undermine UNRWA and extinguish the refugee cause through incitement, defamation, and imposing arbitrary restrictions. He described attempts to establish an “alternative agency” and a “humanitarian city” in Rafah as elements of a forced-displacement plan aimed at erasing the Palestinian issue.
He noted the ongoing aggression has resulted in more than 200,000 killed and injured—including thousands of women and children—over 13,000 missing, and nearly 2 million displaced living in tents under siege and without relief aid. All this has occurred amid international disregard for UN Security Council decisions and rulings of the International Court of Justice.
Dr. Abu Holi warned about the Israeli plan to establish a so-called “humanitarian city” in Rafah, near the Egyptian border in southern Gaza. He cautioned that this would essentially function as mass detention camps for Palestinians—designed to tighten the stranglehold, force displacement outside Gaza, and violate international humanitarian norms. He urged the international community to intervene, labeling the plan tantamount to war crimes and ethnic cleansing.
He emphasized that ongoing impunity emboldens the Israeli occupation to continue committing atrocities, and that the absence of effective accountability increases Palestinian suffering—enabled by the international community's silence and inaction. He called for holding Israel accountable and ending its policy of impunity.
Dr. Abu Holi also sounded a dire warning over the looming famine in Gaza, with Israel having closed all crossings, blocked humanitarian aid since March 1, and severed electricity and water supplies. He urged UN bodies to officially declare famine in Gaza, which is home to over 2.4 million Palestinians, enabling the UN Security Council to take mandated action and prosecute those responsible.
He urged the international community to immediately assume its responsibilities: Cease hostilities in the West Bank and Gaza, reopen crossings for humanitarian aid and protect holy sites, reject any forced displacement, enforce binding rulings of the International Court of Justice, fully support the two-state solution through political and diplomatic backing.
He pointed out that the Israeli occupation continues to execute its settlement plans by approving the construction of 22 new settlements in the occupied West Bank this year, including the re-establishment of two settlements evacuated in 2005, displacement of over 30 Bedouin communities (323 families) since October 7, 2025, and the removal of dozens of border villages and hamlets near the barrier and settlements—intended to alter the geographic and demographic reality in the Palestinian territories, entrench Israel’s occupation, and undermine international efforts toward a two‑state solution.
He warned of attempts to change the historical and legal status of Islamic and Christian holy sites—especially the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Ibrahimi Mosque (Cave of the Patriarchs)—through ongoing settler incursions and measures imposed by the extremist right‑wing government, including closing institutions like the Jerusalem Endowment Fund, attacking worshippers, denying access to Al-Aqsa, preventing Christians from reaching their churches, and transferring administrative control of the Ibrahimi Mosque from Hebron Municipality to a settler-run religious council affiliated with the “Kiryat Arba” settlement.
Dr. Abu Holi noted that President Mahmoud Abbas’s vision, announced at the extraordinary Arab League summit and the UN General Assembly, lays out a clear Palestinian roadmap: halt the aggression, prevent displacement, rebuild Gaza, and achieve a just peace based on international legitimacy and the Arab Peace Initiative.
Dr. Abu Holi urged the international community to fulfill its obligations toward Palestinian refugees by providing urgent political and financial support to UNRWA—without political conditions—and to ensure its mandate is renewed this September. He strongly opposed any interference with UNRWA’s mandate or reduction of its services, especially in light of ongoing direct targeting that has tragically cost the lives of 327 staff members and destroyed over 70% of its facilities in Gaza.
In response, Ambassador Saeed Abu Ali, Assistant Secretary-General of the Arab League, described what is happening in Gaza as a “full-fledged genocide,” highlighting a systemic campaign of killing and starvation, and the use of aid as a tool for humiliation. He reported that more than 770 people had been killed and 5,000 wounded while waiting for aid.
He also noted that the West Bank is under heavy assault, with over 1,000 killed, 7,000 injured, more than 1,500 buildings demolished in refugee camps, and around 52,000 Palestinians displaced due to settler attacks backed by Israeli forces.
Abu Ali reaffirmed that UNRWA remains a living testament to the Nakba and symbolizes the international community’s commitment to Palestinian refugee rights. He cautioned against efforts aimed at dismantling the agency, especially after the Knesset banned its operations in occupied Palestinian territories and destroyed its infrastructure across Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza.
Meanwhile, Sahar Al-Jubouri, UNRWA’s head representative, warned that the agency is facing its worst financial crisis, with a deficit exceeding $200 million, forcing them to delay payments to suppliers to prioritize staff salaries.
She stressed that UNRWA’s continued existence is essential in the absence of a just, permanent solution for Palestinian refugees. She called for a unified Arab position to support renewing UNRWA’s mandate and providing immediate political and financial backing to prevent the collapse of critical services relied on by millions.
The Egyptian delegation reiterated Egypt’s unwavering rejection of any attempts to dismantle the Palestinian issue or displace Palestinians. They emphasized that Israel’s refusal to honor peace obligations threatens regional security.
Overall, participating delegations emphasized the urgent need for political and financial support for UNRWA, collective action to defend refugee rights—including the right to return under UN Resolution 194—and to counter any attempts to eliminate the agency.
The conference will span five days, during which delegates will address several key issues related to the developments in the Palestinian cause and the status of Palestinians. The primary topics include Jerusalem, the separation wall, settlement expansion and forced displacement, the Palestinian refugee issue, the operations and financial condition of UNRWA, development in Palestinian territories, and monitoring and supporting the ongoing Intifada.
By the conclusion, the conference is scheduled to submit a recommendation report to the upcoming session of the Arab League Council of Foreign Ministers, to be held in September.
