UNRWA could lay off thousands as Trump’s Board of Peace prepares for post-agency Gaza - report

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) is considering a major restructuring that could lay off thousands of employees and transfer some responsibilities to other bodies, including US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace (BoP), according to multiple media reports citing diplomatic sources.

UNRWA's acting commissioner-general, Christian Saunders, is spearheading the reported proposal as the agency faces a severe financial crisis.

Established under the framework endorsed by the UN Security Council in November 2025, Trump's BoP is tasked with overseeing Gaza's transitional governance, reconstruction, economic recovery and coordination of humanitarian assistance.

The BoP, however, has been explicit in its opposition to UNRWA, stating in a July 1 post that "UNRWA has no place in the new Gaza."

"We are turning the page on the complex of perpetual aid dependency and conflict. The people of Gaza deserve better," the Board said in the same post.

BoP: UNRWA 'fails' to 'contribute to a deradicalized Strip'

In a post on September 25, the BoP said it "will only work with trusted partners who will deliver for the people of Gaza and contribute to a deradicalized Strip. UNRWA fails on those litmus tests."

However, the Associated Press reported on September 25 that Board representatives have held several private meetings with UNRWA officials. A Board official acknowledged that some of the agency's programs and vetted employees could continue if they were effective and accountable, while maintaining that UNRWA's institutional role was ending.

UN Watch's Hillel Neuer posted last week that there is a plan to unravel the body, which has long faced criticism from Israel and the United States over allegations of links between some of its employees and terrorist organizations.

According to Israel Hayom, which cited Arab and Western diplomatic sources, discussions have taken place about transferring some of UNRWA's responsibilities to the BoP and other bodies. Some of the agency's remit could reportedly also be transferred to the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.

Saunders presented the reported proposal at a meeting of UNRWA's Advisory Commission, citing the agency's financial difficulties as a central reason for the restructuring.

Saunders told Anadolu Agency on October 20 that the deficit stood at approximately $70 million.

“If we don't receive money in the very near future, I will have to take some regrettable actions in order to ensure that we're able to finish the year and to pay our staff salaries," Saunders warned.

The head of the Arab Staff Union in Gaza, Mustafa Al-Ghoul, told Mondoweiss last week that UNRWA has dismissed around 1,000 staff in Gaza and let 2,000 retire without replacing them, leaving roughly 10,500.

Saunders gave the same figures in the AA interview, saying “We have 10,500 personnel on the ground (in the Gaza Strip)."

In the same interview, Saunders expressed support for the broader international framework for Gaza, saying: “US President Trump's 20-point plan, UN Security Council Resolution 2803, the BoP, and the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza – we are completely behind these efforts."

Separately, Swiss French-language daily newspaper Le Temps published an investigation last week claiming that Saunders plans for UNRWA to close its doors “within four or five years”; however, this has not yet been independently verified.

BoP to exercise transitional authority in Gaza until PA completes reform

Under the UN-backed framework, the BoP is to exercise transitional authority in Gaza until the Palestinian Authority has completed its reform program and can securely and effectively resume control. In the meantime, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza is intended to serve as an interim technocratic administration.

Currently, UNRWA purports to be assisting more than 1.7 million Palestinians in Gaza, providing healthcare through 11 centers, schooling for approximately 300,000 children, and drinking water for around 820,000 people.

It also says it provides essential services to nearly six million Palestinian refugees across Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and the West Bank.