Palestine rejects US bid to end UNRWA mandate in Gaza

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday firmly rejected efforts to dismantle the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), responding to a statement by President Donald Trump's Board of Peace that declared the agency has "no place in the new Gaza." The ministry described UNRWA as an "indispensable lifeline" for millions of Palestinians across the occupied territories and neighboring countries, warning that any move to undercut its mandate would destabilize the region without addressing the root causes of the protracted refugee crisis.

"Essential role" in occupied territories

In an official statement issued from Ramallah, the ministry emphasized that UNRWA provides "essential" education, healthcare and social protection services across the Gaza Strip, the West Bank including East Jerusalem, and refugee camps in host nations. "UNRWA was established under a UN mandate and operates in accordance with international law," the ministry said, describing the agency as "irreplaceable" and "a key pillar of stability." It stressed that humanitarian assistance cannot substitute for the "inalienable rights" of refugees under United Nations General Assembly Resolution 194, rejecting attempts to undermine the agency's operations without resolving the fundamental political questions at the heart of the displacement.

Washington's position

The rejection came hours after Trump's Board of Peace posted on X that "UNRWA has no place in the new Gaza," adding: "We are turning the page on the complex of perpetual aid dependency & conflict. The people of Gaza deserve better." The board, established in January as part of Trump's initiative to broker a settlement in Gaza, has positioned the dismantling of UNRWA as central to its vision for ending what it termed perpetual aid dependency. Palestinian officials countered that the agency's work remains vital until a just solution is achieved under international law.

Trump's Gaza initiative

The Board of Peace held its first meeting on February 19 at the US Institute of Peace in Washington, forming part of the second phase of Trump's 20-point plan to end the war in Gaza. The initiative emerged amid ongoing hostilities that have killed more than 73,000 Palestinians since October 2023, according to Palestinian figures. The ministry reaffirmed that the Gaza Strip remains "an integral part of the occupied State of Palestine" and that Palestinians are "one people" across all territories and diaspora communities, rejecting any terminology that fragments Palestinian geography or identity.