Historical Organization
UNRWA
UNRWA
Details
Organization Timeline
UN establishes UNRWA through Resolution 302
📅 8 December 1949The UN General Assembly created UNRWA to provide relief and works for Palestine refugees. In Lebanon, the agency became central to education, health and relief. Palestinian refugees continued to...
UNRWA begins operations for Palestine refugees
📅 1 May 1950UNRWA began operations on 1 May 1950. Its services supported Palestinian refugee communities in Lebanon, including education and health care, while the unresolved displacement and restrictions on...
UNRWA suspends Gaza relief operations over staff safety
📅 8 January 2009UNRWA suspends operations until security can be guaranteed, underscoring threats to humanitarian workers and access during the offensive.
Order tells about 1.1 million people in northern Gaza to move south
📅 13 October 2023Israeli authorities directed the population north of Wadi Gaza to relocate south within 24 hours. The UN said the order affected about 1.1 million people and applied to UN personnel and people...
Evacuation orders shift toward Khan Younis amid further displacement
📅 3 December 2023Israeli authorities issued new evacuation instructions, including for parts of Khan Younis, as military operations expanded southward. UN reporting said the area marked for evacuation covered...
Major donors pause UNRWA funding after staff allegations
📅 27 January 2024After UNRWA disclosed allegations from Israeli authorities that several employees may have participated in the 7 October attacks, a number of donor governments paused or suspended future funding....
UN-led polio vaccination campaign begins in central Gaza
📅 1 September 2024The first phase of a polio vaccination campaign began in central Gaza on 1 September, coordinated by the Palestinian Ministry of Health, WHO, UNICEF, UNRWA and partners. The first phase reached more...
Israeli strike on Nuseirat school kills six UNRWA staff among at least 18 dead
📅 11 September 2024An Israeli airstrike hit a UNRWA school sheltering about 12,000 people in Nuseirat. OCHA reported at least 18 Palestinians killed, including six UNRWA staff members, and cited the UN Human Rights...
Knesset adopts laws restricting UNRWA operations and contacts
📅 28 October 2024Israel’s Knesset adopted two laws concerning UNRWA, including a ban on the agency’s operations in areas under Israeli control and restrictions on official contact. The laws were to take effect...
General Assembly reaffirms UNRWA’s mandate and rejects restrictions
📅 11 December 2024The Assembly adopted a resolution supporting the mandate of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East by 159 votes to 9, with 11 abstentions. The vote affirmed...
UN General Assembly asks ICJ for opinion on Israel’s obligations toward the UN
📅 19 December 2024The General Assembly adopted a resolution requesting an urgent advisory opinion from the ICJ on Israel’s obligations concerning the presence and activities of the UN, other international organizations...
Evacuation order in Nuseirat affects shelters and essential services
📅 12 January 2025Israeli forces issued an evacuation order on 12 January for about 0.86 square kilometres in Nuseirat refugee camp. OCHA estimated about 4,100 residents were affected, including people at two UNRWA...
Israeli UNRWA laws take effect
📅 30 January 2025Israeli laws restricting UNRWA's operations came into force; their consequences for humanitarian operations later figured in ICJ proceedings.
Israeli laws restricting UNRWA operations begin to take effect
📅 30 January 2025The UN reported that laws barring UNRWA’s work in Israel and restricting official contact were taking effect. Since the agency provides essential services to Palestinian refugees, the measures...
Bodies of emergency responders recovered in Rafah
📅 30 March 2025Rescue teams recovered the bodies of Palestinian Red Crescent, Civil Defence, and UNRWA personnel in Rafah, days after their vehicles had been attacked. The UN called for an investigation and...
Ceasefire takes effect and humanitarian scale-up begins
📅 10 October 2025A ceasefire came into effect at noon. The agreement called for aid to enter at levels consistent with the January 2025 ceasefire and for materials to repair hospitals, bakeries, roads, and...
ICJ issues advisory opinion on aid obligations
📅 22 October 2025The ICJ concluded that Israel must ensure essential supplies for the occupied Palestinian population and facilitate UN and other humanitarian relief; this was an advisory opinion, not a criminal...
General Assembly adopts Fourth Committee texts on decolonization and Palestine
📅 5 December 2025The Assembly approved 40 texts concerning non-self-governing territories, Palestinian refugees and other special political questions. The votes carried forward the UN’s formal decolonization agenda...
General Assembly backs ICJ review of Israel’s duties toward UN agencies
📅 12 December 2025By 139 votes to 12, with 19 abstentions, the Assembly welcomed the ICJ advisory opinion on Israel’s obligations regarding the UN and other organizations in occupied Palestinian territory. It linked...
UN reports incursions at Kalandia Training Centre
📅 31 July 2026OCHA reported Israeli forces and officials entering the UN Kalandia Training Centre in East Jerusalem for the second time in less than a month, disrupting educational activity.
Israeli drone strike kills two Palestinians near UNRWA headquarters in Gaza City
📅 21 October 2026WAFA reported that two Palestinians were killed and several others injured when a drone fired a missile near the UNRWA headquarters in the al-Rimal neighbourhood. The strike reportedly targeted a...
UNRWA reports more than 3,000 Palestinians forcibly displaced in Hebron
📅 27 October 2026In a WAFA report published on 27 October, UNRWA West Bank Director Roland Friedrich said residents had faced severe restrictions since 23 October and that more than 3,000 Palestinians had reportedly...
UN chief renews call for UNRWA funding as agency reports an $80 million cash-flow shortfall
📅 7 November 2026WAFA and Press TV reported that UN Secretary-General António Guterres renewed his call for full funding of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, quoting his spokesperson. The agencies...
UNRWA Arab Employees Union marches in Khan Younis over layoffs and service cuts
📅 9 November 2026On 9 November, the UNRWA Arab Employees Union organized a march in Khan Younis opposing measures affecting staff rights, including dismissals, wage reductions and service cuts. Anadolu’s Arabic report...
Palestinians protest planned closure of UNRWA hospital in Qalqilya
📅 10 November 2026Palestinians held a peaceful protest in the courtyard of UNRWA’s hospital in Qalqilya, demanding that the agency reverse its planned closure, restore internal medicine and maternity services, and...