A strike by teachers and personnel in Gaza kept more than 200,000 children from returning to school for the new term Monday, as the UN agency that employs them struggles financially. Several thousand teachers, assistants and administrative personnel protested in front of the headquarters of UNRWA, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees.
The union for UNRWA staff in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian territory hit hard by three wars in six years, an Israeli blockade and economic crisis, called for the protest with some employees at risk of losing jobs because of a lack of financing. Out of a population of 1.8 million in Gaza, some 1.26 million are refugees, according to UN figures. UNRWA oversees education for most children - some 225,000 in 245 schools. Dozens of schools were damaged and affected by last summer's war between Palestinian militants and Israel.
UNRWA, mainly financed by state members of the United Nations, has struggled with money shortages for years.
The agency had raised the possibility of delaying the start of the new school term and laying off some staff for a year due to a lack of contributions from international donors. New financial support allowed UNRWA to freeze those plans, but its employees are demanding that they be dropped entirely. In the West Bank, the other Palestinian territory, children returned to school amid tributes to the 18-month-old boy killed last month along with his father when their home was firebombed by suspected Jewish extremists.
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