The decision covered employees with less than thirteen years of service, whom the administration asked to sign work contracts lasting only three months.
Sources said the step sparked a wave of condemnation and fears among staff and refugees, amid claims it is a prelude to a mass dismissal process. Observers believe the shortened contract terms leave thousands of Palestinian families facing an unknown fate and threaten their job security under the difficult conditions the Strip is experiencing.
The Joint Committee of Refugees in the Gaza Strip condemned the decision, describing it as dangerous and threatening to the employees' professional future. In a statement, the committee stressed that what is happening is not a passing administrative measure or a remedy for a financial crisis, but a clear prelude to terminating the services of these cadres once the three-month period ends.
The committee questioned the ethical and administrative logic that allows long years of dedication in serving refugees to be rewarded by threatening employees with the loss of their job security. It considered the measure a blatant assault on the dignity of workers and the stability of their families, and an attempt to impose a fait accompli on the humanitarian services system.
Sources stressed that the targeted employees are not mere numbers on payroll lists that can be easily erased, but human cadres with professional expertise accumulated over long years. They said the agency's administration should have provided them with stability instead of putting their future at stake through short-term contracts lacking the minimum requirements of security.
The Joint Committee noted that the danger of the decision lies in its general context, which aims to reduce UNRWA's role and weaken its operational structure. It warned that these measures threaten the agency's ability to fulfill its UN mandate toward millions of Palestinian refugees who depend primarily on its services.
Sources affirmed that the crisis afflicting the agency is a purely political one and cannot be reduced to financial aspects alone. They demanded that the financial deficit not be turned into cover for passing policies aimed at dismantling the institution, calling on the international community to move immediately to provide sustainable funding that protects the agency from collapse.
They called on trade union and popular bodies to immediately reverse the decision and cancel all measures resulting from it to guarantee employees' rights. They stressed the need for UNRWA's administration to abide by the applicable staff regulations and bylaws and not to diminish contractual rights under any pretext.
The Joint Committee held the Acting Commissioner-General fully responsible for the catastrophic repercussions that may result from this unjust decision. It called for opening a serious and immediate dialogue with representatives of employees and refugees to reach solutions that protect the institution and safeguard the rights of its workers, away from policies of job intimidation.
Sources directed an appeal to the host countries of Palestinian refugees to break their silence and act effectively at the United Nations to stop these decisions. They considered that infringing on employees' rights is a direct infringement on the rights of refugees and on the quality of educational, health and relief services provided to them in all areas.
National activities called on the UN Secretary-General to intervene directly to put an end to these measures and hold the agency's administration accountable for its decisions. They affirmed that the continuation of these policies undermines the international institution's ability to carry out the humanitarian mission for which it was established decades ago.
Dr. Alaa al-Din al-Aklouk, head of the National Gathering of Tribes and Clans, warned that these measures represent a dangerous path aimed at liquidating UNRWA's political and humanitarian role. He explained that converting contracts is a real prelude to emptying the agency of its core cadres at a time when the Gaza Strip needs every relief effort.
Al-Aklouk added that the accumulation of these decisions aims to undermine the agency's existence as the sole political and legal witness to the refugees' cause and their historical rights. He affirmed that targeting employees is an attempt to empty the Palestinian cause of its content linked to the right of return and compensation.
National and Islamic forces and employees' unions called for unifying ranks and urgent action to thwart the decision and prevent its implementation. They warned that silence on this step will open the door to further measures targeting human resources and undermining the continuity of vital services provided to refugees in the Gaza Strip.
