RAMALLAH, March 22, 2026 (WAFA) - Director of UNRWA Affairs for the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Roland Friedrich, said the holy month of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr, normally a joyous period, came this year at a very difficult time for the West Bank. “Amidst the regional escalation, settler violence has spiraled with lethal consequences and without accountability, accelerating coercive conditions for and displacement from Palestinian communities in Area C, many of whom are Palestinian refugees.”
In a post on X, he said, “For a second consecutive Ramadan, more than 33,000 refugees mark the occasion, displaced from their homes in Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams camps. Tightened movement restrictions and the security situation have prevented people from visiting friends and family or praying at the holy sites.”
He said: Despite the challenging operational context, UNRWA has continued to deliver its services in the West Bank, supported by UNRWA Partners. “During the month of Ramadan, we scaled up our assistance to thousands of vulnerable families facing poverty, displacement, and socio-economic distress, through cash-based interventions and food assistance in coordination with humanitarian partners.”
He said that more than 5,400 families living below the poverty line received social safety payments, helping them cover food, utilities and household expenses. Over 7,900 displaced families from Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams camps received emergency assistance, helping them cope with prolonged displacement. More than 5,400 laborers and medical patients from Gaza who remain stranded in the West Bank received multi-purpose cash assistance to cover accommodation, food, transportation, and healthcare, he added.
“The values at the core of this holy period – community, compassion and solidarity – should inspire us to reflect and to do better. I wish all those observing a blessed Eid al-Fitr, with the hope that the violence overshadowing the region will soon come to an end, the displaced can return home and that peace and hope will prevail,” he concluded.
T.R.
