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The UN agency that supports Palestinian refugees withdrew part of its international staff from the Gaza Strip on Monday, saying it was worried about their safety, according to a statement by the organization.
Anger has increased in Gaza in recent weeks among Palestinian employees of UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees). Faced with a financial crisis, the organization had to cut jobs in Gaza, triggering strikes and demonstrations.
"UNRWA today decided to temporarily remove some of its international staff from Gaza following a series of alarming security incidents affecting its staff in the Gaza Strip," the agency said.
UNRWA said that its director of operations and other international staff would remain in Gaza and that its operations would continue there. According to a source in Gaza, 13 international staff members were withdrawn and six others remained in the band.
"Earlier in the day, a number of staff members were harassed and prevented from performing their duties by people who protested against recent measures taken as a result of the precarious financial situation of the company. UNRWA, "the statement said.
Hani al-Omari, a local UNRWA employee, told Reuters that dozens of people whose jobs had been recently suppressed or fired had gathered in front of a hotel where they had heard international staff from UNRWA meet, some surrounding the vehicle of one of them.
"We wanted to send them a message: they will not be comfortable when they plan to execute us by cutting our jobs," said al-Omari.
In its statement, UNRWA called on the Gaza authorities to "provide effective protection for its employees and its facilities".
Gaza is controlled by the Islamist Hamas movement.
Eyad al-Bozom, spokesman for the Hamas-led Gaza Ministry of the Interior, said his ministry was determined to protect UNRWA personnel and facilities.
"The protections have not changed, but due to recent job cuts in the Gaza Strip, employees have been angry. We will not let these protests develop and we will not allow any attacks on employees or facilities, "he said.
UNRWA provides services to about 5 million Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank and Gaza. Most are descendants of some 700,000 Palestinians who were driven from their homes or fleeing the fighting of the 1948 war that led to the creation of Israel.
In August, the United States announced the end of their aid to UNRWA, calling it an "irretrievably flawed operation," prompting it to appeal to donors to obtain funding from UNRWA. ;help.
UNRWA chief Pierre Krahenbuhl said Thursday that the agency had received $ 118 million in contributions, reducing the budget gap to $ 68 million for this year. The pledges were made during a meeting on the sidelines of the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations in New York.
Gaza has been going through a deep economic crisis for years. With widespread poverty and high unemployment rates, many of its two million inhabitants depend on UNRWA services.
