Private donations boost UN support for war-torn Gaza

This article is published in association with United Nations.

5 September 2024 Humanitarian Aid

From celebrities to civil society, a growing number of people around the world are providing unprecedented support for UNRWA, the UN agency supplying a lifeline to two million Palestinians trapped in war-torn Gaza.

Since last October, the UN agency has raised nearly US$150 million from UNRWA Spain, UNRWA USA, foundations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), corporations and individuals. 

Some even doubled or tripled their donations, said Karim Amer, the agency’s Director of Partnerships, who spoke to UN News ahead of the International Day of Charity, observed annually on 5 September.

“Your donations matter, no matter the size,” Mr. Amer said. “Your support is making an impact on tens of thousands of families suffering from loss, displacement, injuries, constant anxiety and fear.”

For the cash-strapped agency, the outpouring of support is critical. UNRWA lost $450 million when 16 donor countries suspended funding following the Israeli Government’s accusations in January that a dozen employees were involved in the 7 October Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel that triggered the ongoing war.

The UN immediately began an investigation which was completed in August. It concluded that the evidence, if substantiated or corroborated, could indicate that nine staff members may have been involved. UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini has decided to terminate their contracts in the best interest of the agency.

All donors, except the US, have since resumed funding

Invaluable support

Mandated by the UN General Assembly in 1949, UNRWA provides services to Palestine refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, Jordan and Syria. 

Until the war began in Gaza, UNRWA was providing education to more than half a million boys and girls across the region and primary health care services to over 2 million people.

Most privately donated funds are being used to bring desperately needed food, water, medicine and shelter to Palestinian families in need in the Gaza Strip.

The war over the past 10 months has reportedly killed over 40,000 people in Gaza, among them 213 UNRWA team members. It has caused catastrophic levels of hunger and destruction. Most health, water and shelter infrastructure have been destroyed or rendered inoperable.

© UNRWA

UNRWA continues to offer support to people in Gaza.

Support gives employees strength to keep working

UNRWA is currently coordinating a polio vaccination campaign with the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) as the disease has been diagnosed in an 10-month-old boy in Gaza after it had been eradicated there 25 years ago.

The public’s response is vital for UNRWA’s staff on the ground struggling to assist the refugees while being themselves impacted and displaced.

“The public support and solidarity give our colleagues in Gaza the strength to keep working and delivering aid,” Mr. Amer said.

United Nations

Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip has been severely damaged by ongoing bombardments.

First-time donors eager to help

Money is pouring in from first-time donors in the United States, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Canada, Germany, the Philippines, India, parts of Africa and elsewhere, he said.

Schools, student groups, consultancies, employee funds and restaurants are eager to pitch in, he added.

Many individuals in Scandinavian countries, other parts of Europe and in North America are keen on setting up “Friends of UNRWA” committees focused on advocacy and fundraising for the agency.

UN Photo/Evan Schneider

Protesters demonstrate outside the Columbia University campus in New York City in April 2024. (file)

Streaming for Palestine

Musical artists are releasing songs supporting Palestine and dedicating all the streaming proceeds to UNRWA. Mexican singer Marianina came out with From Palestine to Mexico in April. Canadian violinist Jessica Moss debuted For UNRWAat a concert in Berlin in February.

Four-time Grammy-award-winning US rapper Macklemore is giving UNRWA all streaming proceeds from his chart-topping hit Hind’s Hall, which went viral on social media after its release in early May.

“We got our first royalties transfer today, for $47,000,” Jason Terry, UNRWA USA’s director of strategic programmes, told UN News late last week.  “We also received a personal donation from Macklemore earlier this year for $100,000.”

US rapper Macklemore has personally donated $100,000 to UNRWA.

‘We all deserve freedom’

The song calls attention to protests around the world to end the war in Gaza.

“We’re grateful to Macklemore for his advocacy and his generous commitment to serve people in Gaza over the months and years to come,” Mr. Terry said. “His gifts are already helping us keep families fed and children healthy.”

The hard-hitting video’s first image opens on Columbia University in New York, where students erected tents to speak out against the war, triggering similar protests on campuses across the US and the world. 

Before the school dismantled the encampment, the Columbia students had draped a flag over Hamilton Hall, renaming the iconic campus building “Hind’s Hall” in honour of six-year-old Hind Rajab, who was killed in Gaza.

Macklemore has been performing Hind’s Hall on his current concert tour.

“I stand here today and every day forward for the rest of my life in solidarity with the people of Palestine, with an open heart in belief that our collective liberty is stake, that we all deserve freedom in this life of ours,” the artist told his audience in Wellington, New Zealand, the day after he released the song. 

Solidarity among Muslim communities

Muslims around the world have also been generous, going to great lengths to help. In 2023, donors poured $4.7 million into UNRWA’s Zakat programme, under which people donate a portion of their wealth, in line with Islamic regulations, to provide cash or food baskets for the poorest, most vulnerable Palestine refugees.

Many private donations sent to the UN agency are coming from national or local NGOs. Germany-based Hasene International has given over $5 million since the war started in October, including  $2.7 million in late July, to provide food, water and medicine for children, and money for their families.

Through Rahmatan lil Alamin Foundation (RLAF), Singaporeans have donated $6.2 million. With the help of UNRWA’s dedicated personnel, robust infrastructure and extensive facilities, the first tranche has already helped feed 123,000 internally displaced people in Gaza.

“RLAF is fortunate to work with good partners such as UNRWA to ensure that assistance is being given to the innocent victims of the war,” said Muhammad Faizal bin Othman, the foundation’s CEO.

After finding out the donation campaign at her local mosque had ended, one elderly woman boarded a bus and several trains from her home to reach RLAF’s offices in northern Singapore. She dropped off about $46, all in coins, collected from her family.

“Our staff was truly touched by her gesture,” Mr. Faizal said.

UN News/Ziad Taleb

Earlier this year, some young Gazans spray painted messages of gratitude on their makeshift tents, thanking Columbia University students for their support. (file)

Lifeline of hope

Through its flash appeal for April to December, UNRWA is seeking $1.21 billion to address the most critical humanitarian needs of 1.7 million of the most vulnerable refugees and non-refugees in Gaza as well as over 200,000 individuals in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

In an impressive show of solidarity and support, 118 governments, including all 15 Security Council members, endorsed an initiative of shared commitments to UNRWA at the pledging conference for the agency on 12 July.

In their statement, governments emphasised UNRWA’s indispensable role as a pillar of regional stability, and lifeline of hope and opportunity for millions of Palestinians throughout the region. They also recognised the serious humanitarian, political and security risks that would result from any interruption or suspension of its vital work.

“It comes at a critical time as UNRWA undergoes unprecedented attacks and systematic attempts to dismantle it,” agency Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said.

“There is no alternative to UNRWA.”

© UNRWA

The mass inoculation drive got off to a “very good start” on Sunday in central Gaza, according to the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, whose medical centres are a key part of the operation.