GAZ (Dispatches) – The
Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has described as “inhumane” the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA)’s decision to cut services offered to refugees who who have been seeking shelter in Lebanon.
In a statement issued by spokesman in Lebanon, Jihad Taha, the Palestinian movement said that “UNRWA’s non-fulfillment of its obligations towards the issue of displaced refugees, who are experiencing difficult economic and social conditions is rejected.”
“It is the duty of the UNRWA to secure the relief assistance and all the services needed by the refugees, who were forcibly expelled from their homes.”
He called for supporting the demands of the displaced refugees and standing beside them, as well as for “putting pressure on the UNRWA to cancel its oppressive decision regarding the payment of all the financial dues without any reduction.”
This came after the UNRWA had stopped paying $100 to Palestinian refugee families displaced from Syria to help cover the cost of their rent.
According to UNRWA’s 2020 statistics, there were about 27,000 Palestine refugees in Lebanon, most of them are experiencing harsh economic and social conditions at a time when Lebanon is suffering the world’s worst economic crisis.
UNRWA was hit hard in 2018, when former president Donald Trump halted U.S. funding. However, the re-engagement of the U.S. under President Joe Biden has been offset by the lack of commitments from the Persian Gulf Arab states, and by decreases in grants from other countries such as the UK.