What withholding money from UNRWA means for Gaza

Since the start of the conflict, the supplementary budget has increased from $12 million per month to $47 million per month, said Tom White, director of UNRWA in Gaza.

That extra money paid for flour for 350,000 families; 14 million food products, including canned meat and packs of dried chickpeas; mattress protectors, blankets and kitchen sets; the distribution of 20 million liters of water; and the construction of latrines.

Most of the aid distributed by UNWRA is paid for with donor funds, Ms Touma said.

Still, officials said the flow of aid was minuscule compared to the need. “It's the bare minimum,” Mr White said, noting that UNRWA had hoped to raise an additional $166 million a month to tackle the crisis.

How much money is left?

Some UNRWA workers have critical duties, including managing shelters, maintaining water infrastructure, documenting the arrival of relief trucks, collecting solid waste and providing health care, Mr. White said.

Most of the agency's employees are paid from the core budget. But currently, only 3,000 of the agency's 13,000 employees are reporting to work. Most of those not working are teachers, who represent the majority of UNRWA workers in Gaza. Schools have been closed since the start of the war and many are used to house displaced people. Nevertheless, UNRWA has continued to pay the salaries of all its employees.

Now, Mr. White said, if funding for the core budget runs out, essential workers are more likely to leave their jobs.

“Without them, the whole system fails,” he said.