Date: August 2, 2026
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Member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Head of the Department of Refugee Affairs, Dr. Ahmad Abu Holi, accompanied by the Ambassador of the State of Palestine to the Lebanese Republic, Dr. Mohammad Al-Asaad, met on Sunday with the Director of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Lebanon, Dorothy Klaus, to discuss the humanitarian and service conditions of Palestine refugees, recent humanitarian response efforts, and the financial crisis facing the Agency and its implications for the continuity of its services.
The meeting was held at UNRWA Headquarters in Beirut, in the presence of Jamal Fayad, Director of the Department of Refugee Affairs in Lebanon, and Feryal Moussa, Head of the UNRWA Affairs Section at the Lebanon Office. The two sides discussed the conditions of Palestine refugees in the camps, the economic and social challenges they face, and ways to strengthen cooperation to ensure the sustainability of essential services and improve refugees' living conditions.
Ambassador of the State of Palestine to the Lebanese Republic, Mohammad Al-Asaad, stressed the importance of continuing efforts to alleviate the suffering of Palestine refugees in Lebanon's camps, emphasizing the need to provide the necessary support to ensure that UNRWA can continue carrying out its humanitarian and relief mandate, in line with President Mahmoud Abbas' support for preserving the Agency's mandate and ensuring the continuity of its services. He also expressed his appreciation for the role of the brotherly Lebanese Republic in hosting Palestine refugees and bearing the burden of this responsibility for decades.
Klaus reviewed UNRWA's emergency response in Lebanon, explaining that cash assistance was distributed in areas affected by the conflict and that witnessed displacement during the conflict period, in accordance with donor requirements. She noted that no displacement occurred in the Nahr El-Bared, Beddawi, or Ain El-Hilweh camps, and therefore no displacement-related cash assistance programs were implemented there.
She also briefed the delegation on UNRWA's preparations for the 2026–2027 academic year, confirming that all Agency schools are ready to receive students. She added that UNRWA's health centers and facilities were not damaged during the recent events and that the Agency continues to implement projects aimed at improving water services and infrastructure in several camps.
The two sides also discussed the financial crisis facing UNRWA, particularly the projected deficit for the final quarter of 2026, estimated at approximately US$100 million out of the Agency's regular budget of US$750 million, and the potential impact this could have on UNRWA's ability to continue implementing its mandate and delivering services to Palestine refugees.
Abu Holi stressed that the ongoing financial crisis should not be used as a justification for reducing the essential services provided by UNRWA. He called for the education, health, and relief sectors to be shielded from any austerity measures and for these services to continue at a level and quality that safeguard the dignity and rights of Palestine refugees.
He further emphasized the need to strengthen health services by increasing the financial coverage of the hospitalization program in line with the continuous rise in medical treatment and healthcare costs, ensuring adequate coverage for Palestine refugees, particularly those suffering from chronic and serious illnesses and patients requiring specialized surgical operations.
Abu Holi also called for ensuring fairness and equity in the distribution of relief and food assistance among Palestine refugee camps, based on objective criteria reflecting actual humanitarian needs and consistent with program implementation mechanisms and donor conditions, so that assistance reaches those entitled to it without discrimination.
He underscored the importance of continuing infrastructure projects, particularly those related to water supply and sanitation, given their direct impact on improving the living conditions of Palestine refugees and strengthening their resilience in the camps.
Abu Holi renewed his call on the international community and donor countries to assume their political and humanitarian responsibilities by covering UNRWA's financial deficit, enabling the Agency to continue implementing its United Nations mandate without reducing its services or undermining the rights of Palestine refugees.
He further affirmed that UNRWA's continued implementation of the mandate entrusted to it by the United Nations General Assembly constitutes an international responsibility, and that any attempts to undermine the Agency, transfer its responsibilities, or replace it represent an infringement on the rights of Palestine refugees and on the international witness to their refugee cause, pending a just solution in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions, foremost among them UN General Assembly Resolution 194.
For her part, Klaus reaffirmed UNRWA's commitment to continuing to provide services to Palestine refugees in Lebanon despite the financial challenges facing the Agency, stressing the importance of sustained international support to enable UNRWA to fulfill its humanitarian mandate toward Palestine refugees.
Klaus also welcomed the operation of water well pumps powered by solar energy in the Mar Elias and Jalil camps by the Palestine Liberation Organization. The two sides agreed that the Deir Al-Qassi well, which supplies the Ain Al-Hilweh camp, should be the next priority. She further explained that the hospitalization program remains covered in accordance with the policy in force for 2026.
