UNWRA Crisis: How is Canada Helping the Palestinian Refugees?

By Grace Jeffries

As a result of weeks’ worth of protesting in Canada the Canadian government has decided to “un-freeze” the funding set aside for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNWRA). The initial implementation enforcement of funding cuts followed an accusation from the Israeli government against the UNRWA regarding the Hamas attacks on October 7th, 2023. The attack killed 1,139 Israeli people according to Israeli statistics and the following allegations assume that 12 UNWRA employees maintained immediate involvement in the attack. The UNRWA, upon hearing such impositions, immediately fired the accused employees and launched an investigation into the allegations. The organization stood against such actions labeling them as “shocking” and “serious” and a complete dis-acknowledgment of the values that the UN pertains to uphold. Immediately following the allegations, many countries, including Canada chose to freeze funding for the UNWRA pending the results of the investigation into the act of “terror” associated with their employees. Recently, however, some countries (namely, Sweden and Canada) have revoked their funding freezes and reinstated their agreements with the UNRWA recognizing the dire situation that Palestinian refugees face amidst the ongoing conflicts in Gaza.  

Canadian officials, after previously agreeing to hold off on funding until the UN-led investigation into the UNWRA was finalized, face backlash from both Canadian forces and Israeli forces following their decision. The government, however, stands firm on its actions understanding the ongoing refugee crisis in Gaza needs support and understanding the important services that the UNWRA can provide as an established source in the Strip. The UNWRA is a vital resource for refugees in Gaza and provides increasingly necessary support as the injury and death tolls continue to rise during the crisis there. The organization serves almost 5.9 million refugees across the Near East region and recognizes their increasingly complicated situation as at least 30,960 Palestinians have been killed and 72,524 injured since the October 7th attacks. Among the refugees the UNRWA provides vital services; helping school children, covering medical costs where possible, and providing food and housing for those able to flee. Beyond the vital services, the organization helps to preserve the rights of refugees, with a specific focus on their right to return to their homes from which they were forced to flee, not only amidst the current crisis but also following the war over Israel’s creation in 1948. The organization recognizes the severity of the allegations while assuming the position that they are an important establishing force for the refugee population of Palestine and the lack of ability for other organizations to exist on the same front.  

Attempts from outside countries to assist Palestinians amidst the crisis continue following the allegations without the help of the UNRWA. However, such attempts come with a cost and prove to be not nearly as effective and affluent as the UNWRA’s efforts since the beginning of the conflict. The Israeli forces have significantly reduced the possibility of humanitarian aid into Gaza by land and continue to enforce such structures as they refute continuing outside support of the UNWRA. Israel assumes the UNWRA to be a part of the problem in Gaza and not a part of the solution.  The Canadian government’s decision to reinstate funding into the organization recognizes that the suspending of aid to Palestinians is a political response that disregards the immediate needs of the Palestinians. The Canadian government’s choice to provide funding for the UNRWA is the first of a few steps they have taken to aid the refugees in Palestine. Recently they uploaded to their immigration website an application form for Palestinian refugees assuming the care of 1,000 refugees once applications have been filtered. This comes from a refugee crisis in the country and the small number of allowances reflects the government's understanding of the need to improve the immigration infrastructure in the country before continuing to allow influxes of newcomers into the country. This recognition, though unsupported by legitimate structural changes, is an important step in the bettering of refugee life in Canada. Overall, the Canadian government's support for Palestinian refugees, although minimal, provides a good basis for the international community’s awareness of the situation. Specifically, the un-freezing of financial support for the UNRWA gives ammunition for countries who previously engaged in the freezing of such resources to follow suit.