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On Tuesday, Jan. 19, Israel began to demolish the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Jerusalem. This aggressive action is one more in a concerted effort to eliminate the agency that has provided essential education, healthcare, emergency relief, and employment for Palestinian refugees – including in Gaza – throughout a 78-year history of displacement. Israel, with US support, has attempted to dismantle UNRWA and by doing so, to erase the issue of Palestinian refugees, of whom there are approximately 6 million registered. The Biden Administration suspended funding for UNRWA in 2024, and the Trump Administration has not restored it.
In Gaza, 1.6 million Palestinians, more than three-quarters of the population there, are suffering acute food insecurity, and the hundreds of thousands of people living in tents have faced an especially harsh winter season, with high winds and heavy rains. Children have frozen to death, and promised aid has been far from sufficient, despite the October ceasefire agreement. To compound the problem of aid access and delivery, earlier this month, Israel announced that it would suspend 37 aid organizations from working in Gaza.
With the US announcement of the beginning of Phase II of the Gaza ceasefire, and the announcement of the broader US-led “Board of Peace,” Palestinians are not included in this implementation. They have denounced the plan, experiencing a situation of continuing war. Since the beginning of the ceasefire on Oct. 10, 2025, at least 450 Palestinians have been killed and 1200 wounded by Israel. Beyond that, the Palestinian right to self-determination denied, execution of the plan leaves roles undefined.
In the immediate term, the basic health and humanitarian needs of the Palestinians in Gaza is urgent. Call on your Senators and Congressional representative to demand that the US: