How did the UN help Palestine?

United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) by far the biggest UN operation in the Middle East, provides education, health, relief and social services for over 5 million Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, the Syrian Arab Republic, Gaza and the West Bank, including East …

Why are Gaza and the West Bank called the Occupied Territories?

Occupied territories are territories captured in war from an established and recognized sovereign. As the West Bank and Gaza Strip were not under the legitimate and recognized sovereignty of any state prior to the Six Day War, they should not be considered occupied territories.

Does Hamas operate in the West Bank?

Hamas has both an internal leadership within the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and an external leadership, split between a Gaza group directed by Mousa Mohammed Abu Marzook from his exile first in Damascus and then in Egypt, and a Kuwaiti group (Kuwaidia) under Khaled Mashal.

What is the definition of occupied territory?

In international law, a territory is considered “occupied” when it is actually placed under the authority of the hostile army. This definition takes into account the effective control of the territory by a hostile authority and seeks to regulate the responsibility of such an authority.

What is UNRWA doing in Gaza?

Operating through over 13,000 staff in over 300 installations across the besieged coastal enclave, UNRWA delivers education, health and mental health care, relief and social services, microcredit and emergency assistance to registered Palestine refugees.

What does the United Nations agency for Palestine (UNAM) do?

Notably, the General Assembly has mandated the Agency to provide services to persons in the region who are currently displaced and in serious need of continued assistance as a result of the 1967 and subsequent hostilities. These persons are not registered as Palestine refugees.

What services does UNRWA provide to Palestine Refugees?

UNRWA basic education and primary health care services are accessible to all Palestine refugees who seek them in UNRWA fields of operations, while other services like cash and food assistance or hospitalization support are provided based on eligibility criteria, which target those most in need.

Can UNRWA or UNHCR change the mandate of their services?

Neither UNRWA nor UNHCR can unilaterally change these instruments. The UNRWA mandate extends to the delivery of services to Palestine refugees within its five fields of operations: the West Bank (including East Jerusalem), the Gaza Strip, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. Therefore, Palestine refugees within these fields do not fall under UNHCR’s mandate.