Ahlulbayt News Agency: The Israeli-instigated funding freeze has forced the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to suspend crucial health programs in Gaza, further crippling the war-torn territory’s collapsing healthcare system.
Al Awda Health and Community Association (AWDA) announced on Sunday that UNRWA had abruptly canceled contracts with multiple local hospitals and medical organizations, endangering thousands of essential medical procedures in Gaza. These contracts, established in 2011, covered natural births, C-sections, gynecological, general, and specialized surgeries, with Al Awda previously performing around 1,000 procedures per month.
While Al Awda will continue providing limited maternity and gynecological care through May, it is urgently seeking emergency funding to sustain operations. The organization has called on the Palestinian Health Ministry and other partners to intervene to prevent a full-scale healthcare collapse.
Al Awda, formerly known as the Union of Health Work Committees (UHWC), ranks as the third-largest healthcare provider in Gaza, following the Ministry of Health and UNRWA.
The funding crisis began after unverified Israeli claims in January 2024 alleged that some UNRWA employees had participated in Hamas’s October 7 operation. Despite no public evidence supporting these claims, the US, UK, Germany, and other nations suspended financial aid to UNRWA.
Independent UN investigations have repeatedly dismissed Israel’s accusations, citing them as politically motivated attempts to undermine UNRWA’s humanitarian mission. In addition, Israel’s parliament (Knesset) passed a law in October banning UNRWA from operating in occupied territories and revoking the 1967 treaty that had previously allowed UNRWA’s presence.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health has reported that Gaza’s healthcare system has completely collapsed due to Israeli attacks on hospitals and medical centers. Since March 2, a total blockade has prevented medicines and medical supplies from reaching Gaza, worsening the crisis and leaving the healthcare infrastructure in catastrophic condition.
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