ISRAEL HAYOM (by agreement with JNS)
UNRWA faces shutdown as plan emerges to transfer responsibilities to Board of Peace
Danny Zaken
November 1, 2026
Arab and Western diplomatic sources tell Israel Hayom that a plan to gradually shut down the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and transfer its responsibilities and operations to the Board of Peace is expected to be presented soon, following talks between the two bodies. UNRWA, established in 1949 and operational since 1950, is the UN agency dedicated specifically to Palestinian refugees. Its mandate has effectively preserved Palestinian refugee status across generations, even though most of those registered as refugees have long since settled and established themselves in other countries or in territories administered by the Palestinian Authority. In recent years, Israel has passed two laws and additional legislation targeting UNRWA, banning its operations in Israel and prohibiting contact between the agency and Israeli government bodies. Most of its assets in Israel have been seized, while a sharp decline in contributions from Western and Arab countries has further undermined its ability to operate. READ MORE