UNRWA Warns Aid to Gaza Is 'Woefully Short' as Heavy Rains and Winter Loom

Overview

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has warned that aid to Gaza remains insufficient as heavy rains and winter approach, and accused Israeli restrictions of hampering its operations. UNRWA Commissioner‑General Philippe Lazzarini told the UN General Assembly Fourth Committee that protecting the agency's mandate is required under international law and vital to the survival of millions of Palestinian refugees. He cited findings from the UN Commission of Inquiry and rulings by the International Court of Justice that call on Israel to lift constraints on the agency.

Funding and operational strain

Speaking at a news conference in New York, Lazzarini said severe funding shortfalls threaten UNRWA’s core services and appealed urgently to donor states after the United States suspended funding following allegations against some UNRWA staff. "We are operating week by week, month by month," he said. "As of today we will be able to process November salaries, but we have no visibility on December."

Israel barred UNRWA from operating on its territory after accusing, without presenting public evidence, some agency employees of involvement in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack that precipitated the war. In response, UNRWA repatriated international staff from Gaza and the occupied West Bank, which reduced its capacity to distribute aid. The agency continues to employ roughly 12,000 people across the Palestinian territories.

Services and needs on the ground

Lazzarini stressed the scale of UNRWA’s work: about 75,000 people have been sheltered in roughly 100 UNRWA premises across Gaza; over the past two years the agency reports providing more than 15 million primary health consultations and currently averages about 14,000 consultations per day. UNRWA also runs joint vaccination campaigns with UNICEF and WHO and provides education for tens of thousands of children.

"Without a substantial influx of new funding, delivery of critical services to millions of Palestinian refugees across the region will be compromised," Lazzarini warned.

Humanitarian access and logistics

The ceasefire that took effect on Oct. 10 included provisions to ramp up aid deliveries, with a target of at least 600 trucks per day. UN agencies and reporters in Gaza say only about 150 trucks have been entering daily, far short of what is needed for some two million displaced and homeless people.

Al Jazeera correspondent Hind Khoudary, reporting from Deir el‑Balah in central Gaza, said many families report receiving no tarps, tents or other assistance despite some truck convoys arriving. She described the coming winter as a "terrifying nightmare" for families living in makeshift camps.

The UN has repeatedly warned that the hunger crisis in Gaza remains catastrophic, particularly in the north where famine was declared in August. Deliveries to the north remain slow and difficult because convoys must navigate a challenging route from the south.

Trucks carrying humanitarian and commercial cargo began passing through the northern Zikim crossing earlier this week after Israel had kept it closed for two months. The reopening was welcomed by Palestinians and UN agencies. A spokesperson for COGAT, the Israeli Defence Ministry unit overseeing civilian affairs in the occupied Palestinian territory, told AFP the crossing would remain open.

Captives, bodies and continued risks

The ceasefire also included provisions for exchanging captives and returning bodies. Israeli authorities received the body of Meny Godard, 73, one of the last known Israeli captives who died in the Oct. 7 attack, the Israeli prime minister’s office said; Hamas said the body was found in Khan Younis.

Al Jazeera reporting has described the recovery of remaining bodies as complicated and dangerous. The Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s armed wing, said recovery sites are hard to reach and require equipment and technical support. Reporters have noted that some remains are beyond the so‑called "Yellow Line," an area delineated under the ceasefire that separates Israeli‑controlled and Hamas‑controlled zones.

At the start of the truce, Hamas held 20 living captives and 28 bodies. Under prisoner exchange arrangements Israel has released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and returned the remains of hundreds of Palestinians. Gaza health officials say many returned bodies show signs of severe injury, and identification of remains is often extremely difficult because of decomposition or disfigurement; many have been buried without identification in mass graves in areas such as Deir el‑Balah.

Outlook

UNRWA says an immediate and sustained increase in funding and unhindered access are essential to maintain life‑saving services as winter approaches. Agency officials and aid workers warn that without urgent international support and consistent humanitarian access, millions of vulnerable civilians in Gaza will face worsening deprivation and increased risk from exposure and hunger.