Dozens of employees at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the Gaza Strip were surprised by mass termination decisions sent to them unexpectedly via email. This shocking move came at a time when employees were anticipating their weekly leave, turning their professional lives into a legal and livelihood nightmare that threatens the stability of their families.
Informed sources reported that the number of employees whose services were terminated reached 70, with the UN organization's management justifying this action as being 'in the interest of the agency.' These decisions come in response to allegations made by the Israeli occupation authorities accusing the workers of belonging to political and military organizations in the Strip.
Rabie Al-Tannani, an Arabic language teacher and one of the terminated employees, recounted the details of receiving the news, which he described as severely unjust and unfair. Al-Tannani affirmed that he does not belong to any political or military party, pointing out that his work is limited to teaching language and the Holy Quran, expressing his astonishment at the decision to terminate him without being called for investigation or confronted with any evidence.
Al-Tannani explained that the consequences of this decision would be very harsh on the humanitarian level, as he is the sole provider for three families, including his own, his sister's family, and his father. He bitterly wondered about the fate of these seventy families displaced by the decision, and how they would be able to secure their livelihood amidst the deteriorating economic conditions in the Gaza Strip.
For his part, Mohammed Shweidah, a school principal and secretary of the Employees' Union, revealed the termination of his services after a long and distinguished career spanning more than 26 years within the agency. Shweidah indicated that the Commissioner-General sent a general message to employees stating that the termination was based on Israeli claims suggesting that employees were working within armed apparatuses, which the employees deny entirely.
Shweidah criticized the blatant legal paradox in this decision, as Acting Commissioner-General Christian Saunders acknowledged that the agency had requested evidence from the Israeli side to support its claims but had received nothing. He considered that making a termination decision despite the absence of evidence represents a dangerous precedent in the history of international organizations, where 'proof of innocence itself has become the cause of accusation.'
Observers believe that this stance legitimizes the occupation's targeting of workers in international institutions and sends a message that any Palestinian employee is automatically accused until proven otherwise. The Employees' Union also criticized the absence of the agency's legal department and the reliance on clauses that grant the Commissioner absolute power to terminate employees without following customary disciplinary procedures.
In a related context, Mustafa Al-Ghoul, head of the Employees' Union in Gaza, described the behind-the-scenes of the decision as lacking the minimum standards of human and legal justice. Al-Ghoul affirmed that the Union demanded that the Commissioner-General listen to the employees and conduct transparent investigations with them before taking any action, but these demands were met with complete disregard by the agency's senior management.
Al-Ghoul stressed that the excuse of 'protecting the institution' is a flimsy one that has not proven effective in previous instances, recalling that the termination of 15 employees earlier did not change the occupation's policy towards the agency. Despite these concessions, Israel continues to prevent senior UNRWA officials from entering Gaza and obstructs the delivery of vital humanitarian aid to the population.
A state of anger and concern prevails among UNRWA employees in the Gaza Strip, fearing that this batch of terminated employees is just the beginning of a series of other decisions targeting the Palestinian presence in the organization. Employees demand the intervention of international and human rights bodies to stop these violations that disregard international labor laws and human rights.
Union sources concluded by emphasizing that terminating employees based on unsubstantiated intelligence reports represents submission to political pressures aimed at liquidating the refugee issue. They affirmed that the Union will continue its protest and legal actions to secure the rights of employees who have dedicated their lives to serving their community under the umbrella of the United Nations.
We have not heard in any earthly law or heavenly religion of an employee being thrown onto the street without investigation, and what is happening in an international institution is a dangerous phenomenon.
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UNRWA terminates services of 70 employees in Gaza in response to Israeli allegations without investigation