Several members of the UN agency are accused of being involved in the October 7 Hamas attacks in Israel.
Several countries have decided to suspend their funding for UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.
On Saturday, several European countries – the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Finland – joined the United States, Australia and Canada.
It is emphasized that funding is suspended, not interrupted, until the conclusion of the investigation into allegations that certain UNRWA employees aided Hamas in its preparation for the attack on Israel on October 7.
The United States, the first to suspend its funding, announced that depending on the results of the investigation, the aid modalities could be reviewed, in particular with better control over the expenditure of the funds.
At the same time, the Secretary General of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Hussein Al Sheikh, called on countries to reverse their decision, as it presents “great political and humanitarian risks”.
UNRWA was established in 1949 and its mission is to provide all kinds of assistance to Palestinian refugees and protect their rights.
Earlier, the URWA management announced that the agency had dismissed “several” employees suspected of helping Hamas prepare the October 7 attack on Israel.
The number of suspects is not specified; according to the American White House, there could be “a dozen”.
The head of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, insisted on the consequences of the suspension of funding: “UNRWA’s lifesaving assistance is set to end following countries’ decisions to cut funding to the Agency. Our humanitarian operation, on which 2 million people depend as a lifeline in Gaza, is collapsing “I am shocked that such decisions are made based on the alleged behavior of a few individuals and that, as the war continues, needs grow worse and famine threatens. The Palestinians in Gaza did not need this additional collective punishment.”
Israel wants UNRWA activities to be completely stopped in Gaza after the war.