WHO chief says defunding UNRWA will have ‘catastrophic’ consequences

An UNRWA worker sits at his desk in the West Bank field office of UNRWA, in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem, Jan. 30, 2024. (Reuters)
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Updated 31 January 2024
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WHO chief says defunding UNRWA will have ‘catastrophic’ consequences

  • WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: ‘Decisions by various countries to pause funds for UNRWA will have catastrophic consequences for the people of Gaza’
  • Ghebreyesus: ‘No other entity has the capacity to deliver the scale and breadth of assistance that 2.2 million people in Gaza urgently need’

GENEVA: The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday warned that halting funding to the UN Palestinian refugee agency would entail “catastrophic consequences” for people in war-torn Gaza
“Decisions by various countries to pause funds for UNRWA, the largest supplier of humanitarian aid in this crisis, will have catastrophic consequences for the people of Gaza,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
“No other entity has the capacity to deliver the scale and breadth of assistance that 2.2 million people in Gaza urgently need. We appeal for these announcements to be reconsidered.”


About 50,000 worshippers perform Taraweeh prayer at Al-Aqsa Mosque

Updated 23 February 2026
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About 50,000 worshippers perform Taraweeh prayer at Al-Aqsa Mosque

  • Palestinians are observing Ramadan amid heightened tensions in the occupied West Bank
  • Over 300 Jerusalemites have recently received Israeli orders prohibiting their entry to Al-Aqsa Mosque during the fasting month

LONDON: Nearly 50,000 worshippers performed the Isha and Ramadan Taraweeh prayers on Sunday evening at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the walled city of occupied East Jerusalem.

Thousands of Palestinians gathered at Al-Aqsa despite facing Israeli military checkpoints and strict identity checks at the mosque’s gates, according to the Jerusalem Governorate.

Palestinians are observing the fasting month of Ramadan, which began last Wednesday, amid heightened tensions in the occupied West Bank, including attacks by settlers, and Israeli raids and arrests.

Over 300 Jerusalemites have recently received Israeli orders prohibiting their entry to Al-Aqsa during Ramadan, the Wafa news agency reported.

Israeli forces have increased their military presence in Jerusalem and restricted access to Al-Aqsa to children under 12, men over 55, and women over 50.

Since Wednesday, thousands of Palestinians have lined up to pass through military checkpoints, including Qalandiya and Bethlehem, in hopes of attending prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan.