Thousands protest UN job cuts in Gaza
5M Palestinians are eligible for UNRWA support
gaza city — Thousands of employees of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees protested in Gaza on Wednesday against forced redundancies as a result of US funding cuts, announcing a one-day strike next week.
More than 5,000 people attended the march that began at the Gaza headquarters of UNRWA, including senior figures from Hamas and other political factions.
The agency announced it would cut more than 250 jobs in Gaza and the West Bank and make over 500 other positions part-time, as it seeks to survive crippling financial shortfalls caused by US aid cuts.
Washington has provided more than $350 million a year for the agency, but US President Donald Trump pulled all funding earlier this year. More than five million Palestinians are eligible for UNRWA support, while around three million access its services. The job cuts have sparked fierce protests, with UNRWA’s head in Gaza accusing the agency’s labour union of “mutiny”.
During Wednesday’s demonstration union representative Amir Al Mashal announced “a full strike in all UNRWA agencies on Monday, as a first step of protests”. He called on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to intervene.
Around 80 per cent of Palestinians in Gaza Strip are eligible for UNRWA aid, while the agency employs around 13,000 people there.