Date: 30/4/2026
Abu Holi discusses with the Representative of the Special Coordinator for Political Affairs the situation of refugees and the challenges facing UNRWA
He stressed that supporting the Agency is a priority, and that reopening the departments of Qalqilya Hospital is an urgent humanitarian necessity
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Dr. Ahmad Abu Holi, Member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization and Head of the Department of Refugee Affairs, discussed with Mr. Gregory Raks, Head of the Political Affairs Unit at the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator, the conditions of Palestinian refugees amid ongoing escalation and increasing pressures targeting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
Abu Holi affirmed that UNRWA is facing its most severe financial crisis since its establishment, with a deficit of approximately $200 million in the 2026 budget. This has been reflected in austerity measures, including a 20% reduction in working hours across its educational, health, and relief programs, in addition to cutting employees’ salaries by the same percentage and terminating the contracts of hundreds of staff members, threatening the sustainability of its services.
He called for urgent international action to mobilize financial and political support for the Agency, especially with the Advisory Commission meeting approaching next June, stressing the continuation of work with popular committees to strengthen the resilience of the camps and prevent their targeting.
He noted that marking the 78th anniversary of the Nakba this year comes under unprecedented circumstances, as the Nakba is no longer an annual event but an ongoing condition manifested daily, particularly in the Gaza Strip, which is witnessing a continuous Nakba due to the war that has caused widespread destruction affecting eight camps in Gaza.
He stressed that approximately 70% of the population of the Gaza Strip are refugees, and that the majority of the population are now either displaced or refugees, which reinforces the urgent need to enable UNRWA to carry out its mandate in accordance with Resolution 302, as it constitutes the backbone of the humanitarian response.
He explained that prior to October 7, the Agency was providing services to more than 1.1 million refugees and operating an education system serving around 300,000 students, who are now at risk of losing their right to education, in addition to its services through its centers spread across the camps in the Strip.
He pointed out that UNRWA has approximately 13,000 employees in the Gaza Strip, forming a ready workforce to resume services once conditions permit, but that deliberate pressures are hindering their return, noting that more than 400 Agency staff have been killed without international accountability.
He affirmed that the Department of Refugee Affairs has developed a recovery and reconstruction plan for the camps, taking into account that UNRWA holds exclusive jurisdiction over the camps under its mandate and plays a fundamental and central role in their reconstruction, stressing that the Agency represents an indispensable humanitarian and political pillar.
Abu Holi reviewed the field situation in the northern camps, noting the displacement of more than 45,000 people due to the ongoing aggression on the camps of Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams, accompanied by a severe deterioration in health, educational, and humanitarian conditions.
Abu Holi expressed the Palestine Liberation Organization’s rejection of the Israeli occupation’s attempt to impose new realities inside the camps by enforcing security screening on the return of displaced persons to their camps and conditioning this on preventing the return of UNRWA, in a clear context aimed at dismantling the camps and ending their role.
He warned of escalating risks in the West Bank amid the continuation of these policies and Israeli statements aimed at expanding the scope of aggression on the camps, which could lead to an explosion of the situation.
Abu Holi stressed the need to reopen the internal medicine and maternity departments at the Agency’s hospital in Qalqilya and to work on developing its services, given its vital importance to refugees in the governorate and the northern West Bank. He called for urgent international intervention to ensure its continuity, pointing to the threats facing the Qalandia Vocational Training Centre amid closure and evacuation decisions and the risks associated with confiscating its land for settlement projects, in addition to the situation in Shu’fat camp, where the closure of schools and clinics has deprived hundreds of students and patients of their basic rights.
For his part, Raks affirmed that the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator is closely following the situation of refugees, stressing the importance of continued coordination and conveying the true picture to the international community in a way that supports efforts to preserve UNRWA’s role.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Abu Holi stressed that the steadfastness of the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank camps, despite war and destruction, sends a clear message of thwarting displacement plans and ending the refugee issue.
