Jordan to host conference aimed at gathering political and financial support for UNRWA

UN agency living 'hand to mouth', chief Philippe Lazzarini says after meeting in Amman

An UNRWA-run school after Israeli bombardment in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip on Tuesday. AFP

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Jordan will host an international conference in September to "guarantee political support" and raise funds for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said on Tuesday, after meeting agency chief Philippe Lazzarini in Amman.

The kingdom, one of only two Arab countries to have a formal peace treaty with Israel, has been vocal in supporting the UN agency, the main aid provider for six million Palestinian refugees across the Levant.

Amman has accused Israel of trying to destroy UNRWA, a target of what Mr Safadi described as a "political assassination attempt by Israel", in the current war in Gaza.

This year, UNRWA survived the repercussions of Israeli accusations that some its Gaza staff played a role in the Hamas-led attack on October 7, in which about 1,200 were killed.

The conference, which will be co-organised with Sweden, also aims to raise money for the agency to "fulfil its mandate" and deal with the "inhumane situation imposed by Israel on Gaza".

UNRWA focuses on Gaza and the occupied West Bank but also operates in Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. Many of the refugees for whom it provides primary education and health care also have Jordanian citizenship.

International powers, Mr Safadi said, are obligated to guarantee not only humanitarian aid to the Palestinians but also health and education, especially in Gaza, where the situation "remains disastrous".

In a postwar scenario, no one is capable of restoring the education system in Gaza, except UNRWA, which used to provide schooling for 500,000 Palestinian pupils before the war, he said.

"UNRWA is an irreplaceable humanitarian agency," Mr Safadi said after the meeting.

Since the war in Gaza began in October, about 200 of UNRWA's Palestinian staff in Gaza have been killed and many of its facilities have come under Israeli bombing. Israel has also imposed restrictions on aid deliveries, a significant proportion of which is ordinarily distributed by the relief agency.

In March, the US, which is UNRWA's main donor, along with 15 other countries, suspended funding following the accusations concerning agency staff. The bulk of the funding has since resumed, after most of the allegations have failed to be proven.

The agency is still affected by the episode, however, and has been in a "very bad" financial situation this year, Mr Lazzarini said. With current funding expected to last only until the end of next month, the organisation is living "hand to mouth", he added.

Washington was instrumental in setting up UNRWA in 1949, a year after the creation of Israel.