UNRWA Cuts Emergency Cash Aid to Northern Lebanese Palestinian Camps, Sparking Protests

Facing its deepest financial crisis since 1949, UNRWA announced that emergency cash assistance would no longer be distributed to Nahr al-Bared and Baddawi camps, arguing they were not directly hit by the Lebanese conflict. Families like that of 45-year-old Aziza Wahbeh, who suffers from a chronic kidney stone, now survive on a single meal a day and rely on foraged sage for income. The decision triggered simultaneous sit-ins at UNRWA offices in June and larger protests in Beirut in August, with refugees demanding universal cash support.

UNRWA’s acting Commissioner-General Christian Saunders warned donors that the agency’s budget for 2026 is unsustainable after receiving only $829 million in 2025, far below assessed needs. Analysts note that Lebanon’s economy has lost $14 billion due to war, inflation has risen about 15 percent, and unemployment among Palestinian refugees exceeds 45 percent. Trade union leader Abu Firas Moussa warned that further cuts could collapse UNRWA’s core relief functions, turning the agency into a vehicle for starvation.