GAZA, July 29 (Xinhua) -- A United Nations official warned Sunday that schools for Palestinian refugees, run by the United Nations Relief and Work Agency (UNRWA), may not reopen as scheduled due to its financial crisis.
Director of UNRWA operations in the Gaza Strip Matthias Schmale said in a press statement that "there are political reasons behind the financial cuts in our budget."
"I can't promise that schools will reopen on Aug. 22 and it might be postponed for one additional month due to our financial crisis," said Schmale.
"The United States has clearly informed us that they won't give us the money for political reasons," Schmale added.
Around 1,000 UNRWA employees have been going on a general strike at the agency's main headquarters in Gaza city in protest of the layoff measures recently declared by UNRWA.
"We have 1,000 employees on the emergency program; 100 of them will complete lose their job on Sept. 1, while 300 will remain in their job and 500 will be moved to the part-time job system," said Schmale.
Schmale was severely slammed by the employees who even threw shoes at him.
"I reiterate that it is the right of UNRWA's employees to peacefully protest and demonstrate," Schmale said.
"We are trying to keep the basic and important services of UNRWA in spite of not having enough money in our budget for our emergency program," said Schmale.
Meanwhile, Amir al-Mesehal, head of UNRWA Employees Union announced Sunday that 1,000 UNRWA employees will go on a hunger strike within the coming few days in protests of UNRWA's financial cuts.
"UNRWA will be fully responsible for the life and security of the striking employees," said al-Mesehal, adding that "our protests against UNRWA's decisions will go on until its goals are achieved."
He warned that "no one could imagine the humanitarian catastrophe that would strike the Gaza Strip in case UNRWA insists on its measures against the Palestinian employees."
UNRWA provides services to about 5 million registered Palestine refugees in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to achieve their full potential in human development.
The agency's services include education, health care, relief, social services, infrastructure, camp improvement and microcredit.
