An UNRWA office in Saida, southern Lebanon. (Archive photo: Mohammad Yassin/L'Orient Today)
BEIRUT — "Popular Action" within Hamas in Lebanon criticized on Wednesday the decision by UNRWA, the United Nations agency responsible for assisting Palestinian refugees in host countries, to reduce its activities by 20 percent in its areas of operation starting Feb. 1, 2026.
Hamas stated that the decision to reduce the salaries and working hours of UNRWA employees will "lead to a decline in the level and quality of services provided to the refugees, will negatively impact their living conditions, worsen social hardships, weaken the sense of job security, and affect the stability of employees' families."
The party also said that this decision, which "coincides with other measures by the agency to restrict its health and education services," points to "a systematic process that could, in effect, transfer UNRWA’s services to host countries."
The UNRWA decision is expected to have a significant impact on the agency’s employees in Lebanon, many of whom are Palestinian, resulting in reduced salaries and working hours. These measures are also likely to affect Palestinian students, who may shift to four days of classes instead of five, according to information gathered from local Palestinian officials.
The United States, the main donor to UNRWA, suspended its funding — followed by other countries — after Oct. 7, 2023.
Against this backdrop, Hamas said, "this decision comes in the wake of criticism by former U.S. President Donald Trump against UNRWA, the adoption by the Israeli occupation of laws and decisions aimed at preventing the agency from continuing its work, designating it as a terrorist organization, shutting down its centers, and the decisions by several donor countries to suspend their financial contributions."
Hamas also warned against "further reductions in the context of the pressures UNRWA is facing," asserting that "this approach serves the Israeli occupation, which seeks to end UNRWA’s role in preparation for dissolving the issue of Palestinian refugees, questioning the right of return, deepening crises in Palestinian society, and creating additional difficulties for the Arab host countries."
Finally, the Palestinian movement called to "reject the decision affecting UNRWA, support the rights of its employees, increase donations to the agency, and unify the stance of refugee host countries." Several demonstrations have taken place in recent days.
On Tuesday, residents of the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp organized a sit-in outside UNRWA’s headquarters in Saida, southern Lebanon, at the call of an independent Palestinian movement, protesting the reduction of UNRWA's services and denouncing "arbitrary measures against several Palestinian employees" of the agency.
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