Gaza City — After 18 years as a teacher with an UNRWA-run school, Maryam Shaaban (name changed for safety reasons) fainted upon learning she was among 600 employees dismissed from their posts, the latest in a barrage of devastating blows borne out of Israel’s genocidal war on the besieged enclave.Earlier in January, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) announced a series of harsh austerity measures, including a 20 percent salary cut for local staff in Gaza, reduced working hours, and the termination of contracts for employees based outside Gaza who had been previously placed on “exceptional leave”.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listAccording to a letter sent to affected staff by UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, the agency said it was forced to take steps due to a severe financial shortfall in its 2026 budget of some $220m.The deficit threatens the agency’s ability to meet core operational obligations, including staff salaries and the continuation of essential humanitarian programmes.Shaaban, 52, who is currently displaced in Egypt with her injured husband, began working with the UN agency in 2007 as a teacher at one of the agency’s schools in Jabalia, northern Gaza.Like most residents of Gaza, she suffered a heavy price during Israel’s genocidal war.She was displaced with her family from Jabalia to Nuseirat, in central Gaza, where they took refuge in her brother’s home. In December 2023, they wer …
