UNRWA chief says Israel squeezing agency before election

UNRWA's acting chief accused Israel's government of squeezing the UN agency for Palestinian refugees before Israel's October 27 election, saying restrictions on supplies to Gaza and a funding gap could force service cuts.

Christian Saunders, UNRWA's acting commissioner-general, said Israel was being “extremely difficult” about allowing in supplies such as engine oil for relief operations in Gaza while permitting commercial products he described as luxury goods.

“About 30 percent of what's coming in is humanitarian aid -- the rest is commercial,” Saunders told AFP late Tuesday. “You do not need Nutella to survive.”

Saunders also said UNRWA would be forced to cut long-term services to refugees if it could not begin to bridge a $100 million shortfall in the next two months. He said the agency had put staff on an 80 percent work week with a 20 percent salary reduction as part of austerity measures.

Saunders said he believed Israel's election was contributing to UNRWA's difficulties because Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government was trying to implement as much of its programme as possible before the vote.

Last month, Israeli forces took control of a UNRWA vocational training centre in a suburb of east Jerusalem. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the raid. Saunders said UNRWA would seek alternative ways to provide training to young Palestinians.

Israel began demolitions at UNRWA's east Jerusalem headquarters in January, an action the agency called an “unprecedented attack.” Netanyahu's government has repeatedly accused UNRWA of providing cover for Hamas militants, including by alleging that some agency employees took part in the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel that sparked the war in Gaza.

Legislation severing Israeli ties with UNRWA and banning it from operating on Israeli territory took effect in January 2025. Investigations, including one led by former French foreign minister Catherine Colonna, found some neutrality-related issues at UNRWA but said Israel had not provided conclusive evidence for its central allegation.