Gaza Herald – Jamal Abdullah, head of the UNRWA employees’ union in the West Bank, stated that the agency has dismissed approximately one-third of its staff over the past five years under what he termed illogical pretexts. He described this as part of a broader plan to liquidate the largest possible number of employees.
Abdullah told Wafa on Sunday that the workforce declined from 34 thousand before five years to 23 thousand currently, representing a 32 percent reduction. He noted that nearly half of remaining staff work on daily contracts, while only 12 thousand are permanent employees. The agency stopped hiring permanent staff, replacing retirees with daily or annual contract workers to avoid financial obligations.
The union leader revealed a new plan to dismiss between 7 and 8 thousand additional employees, mostly permanent staff, to empty the institution from within. Cuts will affect health, education, and relief sectors, focusing on Gaza and Jordan where the majority of staff reside. Schools were consolidated in Jordan, clinics closed in Lebanon, and similar measures occurred in Syria.
In the West Bank, schools in Sheikh Jarrah and Jerusalem were handed over, Qalandia Institute was transferred, and Qalqilia Hospital closure is underway, affecting roughly 100 employees. In Gaza alone, about 800 staff were dismissed this year for being abroad during the war, despite their return, without severance pay.
Abdullah cited General Commissioner’s Law 109/9 aimed at terminating long-serving employees after 30 to 35 years without benefits. The agency abolished a previous law allowing conversion to permanent status after 11 years, making all contracts annual and renewable, effectively canceling severance for those exceeding that tenure.
Salaries in Gaza faced a 20 percent deduction, a 25 percent direct cut, and a 28 percent loss due to currency exchange differences, totaling a 48 percent reduction. West Bank employees lost a 200 dinar Jerusalem allowance, reducing minimum wages to 2 thousand shekels.
The goal is replacing permanent staff with emergency program workers earning half the salary to avoid financial liabilities upon potential agency handover. Abdullah viewed this as political strangulation of Gaza. Over 630 Gaza staff were fired for leaving during the initial war days, followed by another 90.
School hours were reduced to four days weekly in April 2026 citing financial crisis. Union authority ended a year and a half ago without elections. Abdullah criticized the General Commissioner for implementing US and Israeli visions against donor pressure, noting chronic deficits of 100 to 150 million dollars annually do not justify recent aggressive cuts.
This report was produced in the Gaza Herald newsroom.
