Why UNRWA, a lifeline for Palestinians, is struggling for survival in Lebanon

One of the 26 UNRWA health centres in Lebanon is located in a narrow alleyway in Burj El Barajneh. Giannis Mavris / SWI swissinfo.ch

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, is facing an existential crisis. A visit to the Burj al-Barajneh camp in Beirut shows how a political tug-of-war is playing out in the lives of the affected population.

The health centre tucked away in the narrow alleys is not as run-down as the surrounding buildings, but it has certainly seen better days. This is where Palestinians can receive medical care. The centre is run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which was established in 1949.

Wafaa El Hajj, 55, has come to collect medicine for her elderly mother. “I don’t earn enough to buy it on the market,” says El Hajj, who works in the kindergarten’s administration. “Sometimes, they can help. Sometimes they cannot.”

Wafaa El Hajj lives in the camp with her parents. Giannis Mavris / SWI swissinfo.ch

Palestinians are excluded from Lebanon’s healthcare system, and poverty rates in the community hover between 70% and 80%. Hence, UNRWA’s budget cuts have hit them particularly hard. El Hajj knows the consequences of this all too well: one of her sisters died from an illness because the family could not afford medical treatment.

“We live an unfair life – we even have to beg for medicine,” she says. “Without UNRWA, we would have nothing at all.”

Swiss funds – with strings attached

The health centre was co-funded by Switzerland,  one of UNRWA’s long-standing donors. The relationship between Switzerland and UNRWA goes beyond money as both the current commissioner, Philippe Lazzarini, and his predecessor, Pierre Krähenbühl, are Swiss.

After the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks against Israel, in which 1,200 people died, Swiss ties with UNRWA broke down. Like many other countries, Switzerland temporarily suspended payments following allegations by the Israeli government that UNRWA staff were involved in the attacks. UNRWA subsequently dismissedExternal link nine employees after an investigation found possible links with Hamas. Since then, Swiss funds can no longer be used to support operations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, which cover Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Switzerland now channels its support through other organisations in the region.

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Sabah Habib: “We have lived in Lebanon since 2021, when the civil war in Syria escalated. Our house in Daraa is gone, there is no going back for us. One of my children is disabled, but at least they can participate in one of UNRWA’s programmes. My husband was injured in an accident and is unable to work at the moment. Our landlord puts a lot of pressure on us when we fall behind on the rent. The situation is becoming increasingly difficult for us.” Giannis Mavris / SWI swissinfo.ch

Amal Falah: “Food, electricity, medicine: I have three children which means we constantly have to prioritise. Internet access, for example, is vital as the children receive their homework via WhatsApp. But I don’t have a job. It is a constant struggle. UNRWA’s direct assistance helps, even though it is not always reliable. Luckily, we can live with my in-laws; otherwise, we would have ended up on the street long ago.” Giannis Mavris / SWI swissinfo.ch

Reem Samrawi: “I have a university degree in Information Systems Management, but I can’t even get an internship. Discrimination against us is so severe that we have no real chance in the labour market. After my graduation, the only work I could find was a two-month position with UNRWA. My father does not have a job either. We mainly survive on support from the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO).” Giannis Mavris / SWI swissinfo.ch

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‘The financial situation is precarious’

UNRWA was already in dire financial straits before the 2023 terrorist attacks and the allegations that followed. In an interview with Swissinfo in spring 2023, UNRWA commissioner Lazzarini already warned that the organisation could collapse.

You can find the full interview here:

Palestinians are barred from working in Lebanon’s public sector, registering their own businesses, or owning property. They are also excluded from 38 professions. “This is the reason why the organisation is a vital lifeline,” says Dorothee Klaus, UNRWA’s director in Lebanon.

Burj El Barajneh is one of twelve Palestinian camps in Lebanon, pictured here in November 2025. Giannis Mavris / SWI swissinfo.ch

UNRWA itself is fighting for survival. As a UN agency, it is directly affected by the fragmentation of the multilateral system. Political attacks and withheld or unpledged funds have further weakened the agency. “The agency’s financial situation remains extremely dire and unpredictable, forcing it to manage its budget month by month,” says Klaus.

UNRWA’s funds are modest to start with. In Lebanon, they amount to US$110 million (CHF84 million) annually, which works out to just under US$490 (CHF374) per head for the approximately 225,000 Palestinians. By comparison, Lebanon’s GDP per capita is around US$3,500 (CHF2,670), according to the World BankExternal link.

Read more about the situation in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon here:

The Palestinians have a strong bond with UNRWA. El Hajj’s tales make clear that the organisation is more than just an aid agency but has long been an integral part of their national identity. “UNRWA has been a witness to our displacement, the Nakba, from the very beginning,” she says.

Under international law and the principle of family unity, the descendants of Palestinian refugees also inherit this statusExternal link in the absence of a political solution. For this reason, critics of UNRWA have long accused the agency of perpetuating the Israel-Palestinian conflict. A striking example came in 2018, when the Swiss Foreign Minister, Ignazio Cassis, said UNRWA was “part of the problem”. His remark marked a complete turnaround from his predecessors, who had been strong supporters of the agency.

Israel demolishes UNRWA headquarters

With the demolition of the UNRWA compound in East Jerusalem on January 20, 2026, the Israeli government further escalated its conflict with the organisation. UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the attack as a clear violationExternal link of international law.

Switzerland, which co-funded the headquarters, also condemned the demolition. The Swiss Foreign Ministry said in a statement it was “seriously concerned” by this latest development. “Like all UN agencies, UNRWA, its staff, its work and all its facilities are protected under international law,” it added. “Any action against UN premises and assets is prohibited under the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations, as confirmed by the International Court of Justice in its advisory opinion of October 22, 2025. The [Ministry] – including through the Swiss embassy in Tel Aviv – remains in regular contact with the Israeli authorities and reminds them of their obligations under international law.” During official meetings with the Israeli authorities, Patrizia Danzi, head of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, pointed out that Switzerland did not share Israel’s legal interpretation and condemned the demolition of the UNRWA compound.

It is clear that an aid agency cannot provide a political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, just as UNRWA cannot end the exclusion of Palestinians in Lebanon. “There are currently no signs of major political changes to their legal status,” says Klaus.

For now, she says, UNRWA has little choice but to uphold its mandate as best it can and prevent further hardship for the population “until a just and lasting political solution can be achieved”.

Edited by Benjamin von Wyl. Adapted from German by Billi Bierling/gw.