to face the financial deficit. UNRWA decides to reduce the wages of its staff and refugee services

The Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) announced on Sunday the entry into force of a package of austerity measures, which included a 20% reduction in the hours of service provision and the wages of employees in all its areas of operation (Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip).

Tamara Al-Rifai, Director of Foreign Relations and Media at the Agency, told the Jordanian Kingdom Channel that this decision came in response to the severe financial crisis and the decline in donor donations, stressing that the reduction in salaries and working hours affected educational, medical and administrative staff.

Differentiated effects in areas of operation

Al-Rifai revealed the details of the implementation of the decision, which directly reflected on the lives of refugees and students, as in Jordan, schools continued to operate for 5 days in line with the government system, but with a reduction in the number of daily hours.

Health clinics have reduced their working days to 5 days instead of 6, which has caused significant pressure on medical appointments.

In the West Bank, it was decided to reduce school hours to only 4 days per week instead of 5, and this measure will continue until the end of the 2025-2026 school year.

Al-Rifai warned that the reduction in working hours has led to a reduction in the time allocated to each patient, threatening the quality of health care provided to hundreds of thousands.

The responsibility of the international community

The agency blamed donor countries for the deterioration, citing the paradox of "renewing confidence in exchange for funding cuts", as the agency this year recorded its lowest level of funding in a decade, despite the UN General Assembly voting months ago to extend its mandate for an additional three years.

Al-Rifai stressed that UNRWA's role goes beyond providing relief to be a "safety valve" and a regional stabilization factor in a region plagued by wars and political crises.

She stressed that the continued financial deficit will force the Agency to make further cuts, which could lead to serious humanitarian and social consequences for Palestine refugees who are already suffering from dire living conditions.

Pressures led to reduced services

UNRWA Liaison Director Jonathan Fowler said in  an interview with Anadolu earlier this month that political and economic pressures have led to a 20 percent reduction in services provided to Palestine refugees, in light of a worsening financial crisis that threatens the Agency's ability to continue performing its tasks.

The Agency relies on donations from UN Member States for its funding and is the main provider of humanitarian assistance to Palestine refugees, including food, health care, education and shelter.

Israeli Incitement

The roots of the current crisis go back to the incitement campaign launched by the Israeli occupation against the Agency and its staff following the events of October 7  , 2023, which prompted donor countries to suspend its funding.

Although some countries have resumed support, the funding gap remains very wide, directly affecting salaries and logistics in the camps.

Established in 1949, UNRWA operates about 96 schools in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem where more than 47,000 students receive their basic education.

The Agency is the only lifeline for millions of Palestine refugees who depend on it for food, health care and education in the absence of political solutions to their cause.