SAFA - The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has begun implementing a project to rehabilitate key community infrastructure across the Gaza Strip, with funding of US$1 million from the Big Heart Foundation in the United Arab Emirates.

The project aims to restore safe access to health, education, water, sanitation and hygiene, protection, and social services, particularly for the most vulnerable groups and displaced people.

The project comes in response to the widespread destruction of essential community facilities across the Gaza Strip as a result of the Israeli genocide, which has significantly reduced people’s access to basic services, particularly for families that have experienced repeated displacement. It seeks to help restore services essential to health, safety, and human dignity.

UNRWA and the Big Heart Foundation signed the project partnership agreement on 6 October 2025, after which the Agency launched rehabilitation works in 40 facilities across different areas of the Gaza Strip.

Rehabilitation works on health, education, and water, sanitation and hygiene facilities began on 31 May 2026. Rehabilitation of protection spaces commenced on 13 June, followed by the rehabilitation of relief and social services centers on 22 June of the same year.

The project is scheduled to continue through December 2026. It includes the rehabilitation of 10 primary healthcare and maternal health facilities, 10 water, sanitation and hygiene and education facilities, 10 protection and psychosocial support spaces, and 10 community shelter facilities.

The project is expected to directly benefit around 185,000 people, including students who will receive education in rehabilitated classrooms and temporary learning spaces, patients who will access healthcare through upgraded health centers and medical points, and individuals who will benefit from protection and support services in safe spaces that ensure privacy and confidentiality.