File photo: An UNRWA fuel truck queues to enter Gaza. Israel s siege of the territory has pushed nearly all of the 2.4 million Gazans to the brink of starvation. AP
The agency’s current mandate expires in June 2026. The newly approved extension—adopted on Friday with 151 votes in favour, 10 against, and 14 abstentions—will keep UNRWA operating through June 2029.
In a statement, Egypt's foreign ministry said the overwhelming support “reflects a strong international commitment to the rights and dignity of Palestinian refugees” until a just and lasting solution is achieved.
Cairo reaffirmed its full backing for UNRWA and its core humanitarian role, stressing that the agency remains indispensable as the primary provider of basic services to millions of Palestinian refugees across the region. It added that UNRWA’s presence is tied to the essence of the refugee question and the international community’s responsibility to work toward a permanent solution in line with relevant UN resolutions.
Egypt urged countries to build on the momentum of the vote and intensify efforts to secure sustainable funding for the agency, saying this is essential to protecting refugee rights and advancing prospects for a just and comprehensive peace.
Established in 1949, UNRWA serves roughly six million registered Palestinian refugees across Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the occupied West Bank, and the Gaza Strip.
Demand for its services has surged during Israel's two-year genocidal war on Gaza, with nearly the entire population of the strip—around two million people—relying on the agency for food, shelter, and medical care.
UNRWA provides education, healthcare, relief and social services, camp infrastructure support, and emergency aid. But the agency has been pushed into a severe funding crisis since Israel alleged that several UNRWA staff participated in the 7 October attacks, a claim that has since been dismissed for lack of evidence.
Major donors, including the United States, the agency’s largest funder, suspended or paused contributions, crippling its finances and threatening operations across the region.
In late 2024, the Israeli Knesset passed legislation de-recognizing UNRWA and banning it from operating in the West Bank and Gaza. Israeli authorities have also stopped renewing visas for the agency’s international staff, leaving oversight of Gaza operations heavily disrupted.
Israel has further restricted UNRWA from directly bringing food and other essential supplies into Gaza, forcing the agency to rely on other UN partners to fill the gap. Local Palestinian staff, however, remain the main distributors on the ground.
Egypt has repeatedly described UNRWA’s work as “indispensable and irreplaceable,” particularly amid the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
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