Middle East Monitor / September 20, 2022
Hundreds of Palestinian refugees organized a protest on Monday in front of the main gate of the head office of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Gaza, Quds Press has reported. The gate of the UNRWA compound was set on fire during the protest.
The protesters, whose homes were destroyed during Israel’s military offensives against the enclave since 2014, called for UNRWA to pay the rent for their temporary homes, and speed up the rebuilding process.
“UNRWA needs to work seriously on the process of rebuilding the homes destroyed by Israel in 2014, 2021 and 2022,” said the Joint Committee for the Palestine Refugees. “Delaying the reconstruction of the destroyed homes by UNRWA means that it is carrying out the same agenda of the Israeli occupation, exacerbating the suffering of the Palestinians.”
The committee insisted that there is “no reason” for delaying the reconstruction of the destroyed homes.
According to the protesters, UNRWA claims that international donors will not pay for the homes destroyed in 2014 because they are an “old” issue. The Israeli offensive killed 2,260 Palestinians in 51 days of the bombardment. At least 12,000 housing units were destroyed completely, with another 160,000 damaged.
