Today, Monday, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip accused the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) of procrastinating in the reconstruction of their homes, while others denounced possible plans to end the agency's work.

This came during a vigil organized by the Palestinian factions in front of the UNRWA headquarters in Gaza City, in which the participants raised banners condemning the agency, and also burned rubber tires.

For 11 days, Israel launched an aggression against the Gaza Strip, which ended with a ceasefire on May 21, 2021.

According to the Government Information Office in Gaza, during that aggression, Israel destroyed 2,075 housing units in total, and about 15,000 housing units partially.

Participants in the vigil burned rubber tires in front of UNRWA headquarters (Anatolia)

You haven't accomplished anything

Bassam al-Far, a member of the Arab Liberation Front (a faction in the Palestine Liberation Organization), called on UNRWA to begin the process of reconstructing those homes, and to take measures that would alleviate the suffering of Palestinian refugees.

Al-Far said in a speech on behalf of the factions participating in the sit-in, that UNRWA "has not accomplished anything in the file of rebuilding completely destroyed homes owned by refugees."

He added that this delay in the reconstruction process comes in light of "all the requirements to start it, and donor money."

He called on UNRWA to hold accountable all "who contributed to delaying the reconstruction process without justification," warning of a "strict stance for the factions if the reconstruction process is not started."

Introduction to finish her work

On the other hand, Al-Far condemned the statements of UNRWA Commissioner-General Philip Lazzarini, in which he referred to the possibility of the participation of UN institutions in providing services to refugees.

He called for "confronting Lazzarini's proposal, which is a prelude to ending UNRWA, by all peaceful means."

In turn, the leader of the Islamic Jihad Movement, Ahmed Al-Mudallal, expressed the factions' rejection of Lazzarini's statements, and he considered these statements during the rally as "a prelude to ending UNRWA's work, and a firm cancellation of the constants of the Palestinian people, which is the right of return."

The participants in the vigil raised banners condemning UNRWA's delay in the reconstruction (Anatolia)

Lazzarini had said in statements published on the agency's official website on Saturday: "To ensure continued access to high-quality services, the right of refugees and the UNRWA mandate, we are studying the option of increasing partnerships, in full line with the mandate that UNRWA received from the United Nations General Assembly."

Lazzarini added, "Such partnerships have the potential to protect basic services and refugee rights from chronic underfunding (...) This option does not mean handing over or transferring responsibilities and programmes, and there is no tampering with UNRWA's mandate."

UNRWA was established by a resolution of the United Nations General Assembly in 1949, to assist and protect refugees in its five areas of operation: Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, until a just solution to their issue is reached.