The United Nations Relief and Works Agency has suspended their food program in Gaza after demonstrators stormed a compound, protesting against cuts to a cash assistance program.
A spokesperson for the agency, Adnan Abu Hasna, stated,
“There will be no food tomorrow… The food distribution centers and the relief offices will be closed in the coming days unless there’s a real security being provided to the life of our staff, because there is a great concern about their safety.”
Dozens of Palestinian protestors forced their way into a UN compound after UNRWA budget cuts led a cancellation of a cash program, which helped sustain around 100,000 people in Gaza.Over 800,000 Palestinian refugees are cared for by the UNRWA, who provide food, education, health and other services.
The New York Times quoted father of seven, Abu Ahmad al-Massri, 42, who lives in a refugee camp in Gaza as saying,
“They want to make reductions, they should reduce the costs they spend for their bodyguards… I am ready to die in defending the food of my family. If I lost one of my kids it’s easier for me than losing my food.”
Hamas meanwhile condemned any violence against the UNRWA, but called the decision to close the food centres “unjustified”. A spokesman for Hamas, Sami Abu Zuhri, said,
“People have the right to protest against UNRWA’s cuts, but at the same time we condemn any violence against the organisation. When the administration of UNRWA asked the Palestinian security services to intervene, they stopped the chaos. We ask UNRWA to reconsider its decision and [reiterate] the importance of UNRWA’s role in helping Palestinian refugees”.
