- Saunders calls on Europe to ramp up pressure on the Israeli government so recovery efforts can move forward
- Facing a $70M deficit, UNRWA warns staff cutbacks may soon force reductions in core services for millions of Palestinians
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees warned of an alarming humanitarian situation in Gaza ahead of winter, saying the vast majority of people remain in damaged shelters and face the threat of sleeping in floodwater.
“The situation is very serious,” UNRWA’s acting chief, Christian Saunders, said in an interview with Anadolu, stressing that recovery and reconstruction efforts must accelerate before winter sets in.
“We have the winter approaching. There will be a lot of rain as there is every year,” Saunders said.
“Because the infrastructure has been destroyed, that water will accumulate around where people are living and people will be sleeping in water and it gets cold. We cannot allow these conditions to remain.”
He called on Germany and other European countries to step up pressure on the Israeli government to lift restrictions on humanitarian supplies and allow recovery work to proceed.
“Obviously we want to see the level of pressure increase so that we can move forward,” Saunders said.
The warning came amid stalled progress on the Gaza ceasefire, as Israeli forces have continued bombardments and military operations despite a ceasefire reached in October 2025.
Aid groups and local health authorities say more than 1,400 Palestinians have been killed since the truce took effect, while ongoing import restrictions continue to slow recovery.
Shelter crisis deepens ahead of winter
Saunders pointed out that nearly the entire population of Gaza has been affected by destruction and displacement since the start of the war in October 2023.
“We still have more than 90% of people living in tents or under plastic tarpaulins or in half-destroyed houses,” he said, adding that shelter worries are compounded by serious problems with food supplies.
Palestinians face widespread malnutrition because fresh fruit and vegetables remain largely unavailable, and where present, prices are out of reach for the vast majority of the population.
Only 3% of the land can be cultivated, Saunders noted.
While more food is entering Gaza than before the ceasefire, delays, limited crossings and remaining restrictions continue to curtail supply volumes.
He also criticized persistent limits on medicines and medical equipment.
Despite worsening conditions, Saunders observed that international attention has begun to shift toward other global tensions and conflicts.
“The biggest worry is it’s becoming normalized,” Saunders said.
Funding shortages
UNRWA is currently struggling to assist more than 1.7 million Palestinians in Gaza, providing health services at 11 centers, schooling for 300,000 children mostly in tents, and drinking water for roughly 820,000 people.
Beyond Gaza, UNRWA provides essential services to nearly 6 million Palestinian refugees across Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and the West Bank.
However, the agency has faced severe financial strain in recent years.
Following Israeli allegations against UNRWA, several donor nations reduced or suspended funding, threatening the future of essential operations.
“The deficit at the moment is about $70 million,” Saunders said. “If we don’t receive money in the very near future, I will have to take some regrettable actions in order to ensure that we’re able to finish the year and to pay our staff salaries.”
While UNRWA will attempt to minimize the impact on civilians, Saunders warned that cuts are inevitable because most funding goes directly toward payroll for the staff on the ground.
“If you cut the money, then we have to cut the number of people working for UNRWA, and that means a reduction in the quality and the breadth of our services,” he said.
Israel ‘would like to see UNRWA eliminated’
The Israeli government has long accused UNRWA of being infiltrated by Hamas, using the allegations as a pretext to repeatedly target its facilities and killing nearly 400 agency personnel.
Saunders rejected the accusations, emphasizing that UNRWA is a strictly humanitarian organization that relies on security information provided by UN member states.
If credible evidence links staff to Hamas’ military wing, the agency acts immediately, he said, adding that Israel has failed to provide supporting evidence despite public allegations.
“I think the Israeli authorities are critical of UNRWA because they would like to see UNRWA eliminated,” Saunders said, noting that Israeli politicians view the agency as a reminder of Palestinian refugees’ right of return along with claims for compensation and reparations.
He added that some Israeli officials believe that dismantling UNRWA will deny Palestinians basic health and educational services, forcing them to leave.
Ready to support Gaza peace plan
Saunders stressed that UNRWA remains prepared to play a key role in the ceasefire, recovery and reconstruction efforts, calling Israeli opposition to its presence politically driven and short-sighted.
He described the agency as a ready-made civil service that is indispensable to long-term stability and represents the only operational structure capable of delivering assistance at scale.
“We have the staff, we have the infrastructure, and, most importantly, we have the trust of the people to deliver critical services,” Saunders said.
While acknowledging that neither Israel nor the US is likely to publicly endorse UNRWA following recent friction, Saunders said the agency simply needs operational space to assist reconstruction.
“US President Trump’s 20-point plan, UN Security Council Resolution 2803, the Board of Peace, and the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza – we are completely behind these efforts,” Saunders said.
“We have 10,500 personnel on the ground ( in the Gaza Strip). This is a public service. We can help them to be successful, and we stand ready to help their efforts,” he added.