Dear John,
Palestinians in Gaza are in urgent need of humanitarian aid. Nearly all of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been displaced, and they are facing severe shortages of food, water, and medicine; looming famine; and outbreaks of disease.
But on Friday, the U.S. and several other countries suspended funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the main provider of aid in Gaza. The decisions came in response to Israeli allegations that 12 of UNRWA’s 13,000 employees in Gaza were involved in the Oct. 7 attack in Israel.
Tell Congress: Restore funding for Palestinian aid!
The allegations against the 12 UNRWA employees are serious and are being investigated. But they are allegations against individuals and not UNRWA as a whole.
UNRWA delivers aid in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, and in Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria, as well as Gaza. Stopping UNRWA funds is a form of collective punishment and could lead to a humanitarian and financial crisis in multiple countries. And because no other agency is able to replace UNRWA’s humanitarian assistance in Gaza, it could lead to a complete collapse of the already restricted humanitarian response there—costing many more Palestinian lives.
Approximately 1.9 million or more displaced Palestinians are taking shelter in or around 154 UNRWA shelters. The agency and other aid organizations, including AFSC, are working in near-impossible circumstances to help the people of Gaza meet their basic needs. The countries suspending funds risk further depriving Palestinians in the region of essential food, water, medical assistance and supplies, education, and protection.
Please join us in urging Congress to work to reverse this funding suspension. The U.S. should scale up humanitarian assistance for civilians in Gaza while demanding an immediate cease-fire—not take funds away from people in dire need.
Thank you for supporting our advocacy efforts.
In peace,
