The decision by several Western countries to suspend aid to the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees is “collective punishment”, the head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said, while as UN chief Antonio Guterres joined in urging donor countries to maintain much-needed aid to Gaza.
UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said he was shocked that such decisions had been taken as “famine looms” in Gaza, which has been devastated by nearly four months of relentless Israeli bombardment that has killed more than 26,000 people.
The agency, with its 13,000 employees in Gaza, is the main organization assisting the people of Gaza in the context of a humanitarian disaster. More than two million of the besieged enclave’s 2.3 million residents depend on UNRWA for “mere survival”, including food and shelter, Lazzarini said, warning that this lifeline can “s ‘collapse at any time’.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also joined Lazzarini’s call on Sunday, calling on donor states to continue supporting the U.N. agency that runs aid operations in Gaza. “The urgent needs of the desperate populations they serve must be met. »
Guterres said UN employees involved in acts of “terrorism” will be held accountable, but added that “the tens of thousands of men and women who work for UNRWA, many of whom are in situations among the most dangerous for humanitarian workers, should not be penalized.” “.
Around 1,100 people, mostly civilians, were killed following the Hamas attack and around 240 prisoners were taken prisoner.
Nine UNRWA employees dismissed
Nine of 12 UNRWA personnel accused of involvement in the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel have been fired, according to the UN chief. One of them was confirmed dead and the identities of the other two were being clarified, he said.
“The Secretariat stands ready to cooperate with a competent authority capable of prosecuting individuals in accordance with the Secretariat’s normal procedures for such cooperation.”
The UN said Friday it was investigating several agency employees following the allegations.
But Israel continued to attack the UN agency, with Foreign Minister Israel Katz calling for Lazzarini’s resignation on Saturday.
Senior Palestinian officials and Hamas criticized the decision, which they said “carries great political and humanitarian risks.”
“At this particular moment and in light of the continued aggression against the Palestinian people, we need the maximum support for this international organization and not to stop providing it with our support and assistance,” wrote the Secretary General of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Hussein al-Sheikh. on X, urging countries to “immediately reverse their decision”.
Chris Gunness, a former UNRWA spokesman, says there is a “coordinated political attack” on the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
“The Israelis have declared that they could not win the war on Gaza without the dissolution of UNRWA. So what clearer signal do you want? » he told Tel Aviv Tribune.
UNRWA’s vital assistance is set to end following countries’ decisions to cut funding to the Agency.
Our humanitarian operation, on which 2 million people in Gaza depend as a lifeline, is collapsing. I am shocked that such decisions are made based on the alleged behavior of a…
– Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) January 27, 2024
Western countries suspend aid
The United States, which said 12 agency employees were under investigation, immediately suspended funding, followed by several other countries, including Britain, Germany, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, Finland, Switzerland and Italy.
On Sunday, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Paris had not planned any new payments to support UNRWA in the first quarter of this year and that it would decide in due course what measures to take in consultation with the UN and its other major donors.
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell stressed that the 27-member bloc would “assess what steps to take and draw lessons based on the results of a full and thorough investigation.”
“While I understand their concerns – I myself have been horrified by these accusations – I strongly call on governments that have suspended their contributions to at least guarantee the continuity of UNRWA operations,” Guterres said.
Meanwhile, reports indicate that US negotiators were making progress on a potential deal under which Israel would suspend military operations against Hamas for two months in exchange for the release of more than 100 prisoners. Tel Aviv Tribune was unable to independently verify this information.
CIA Director Bill Burns is expected to meet David Barnea, Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel on Sunday in France for talks focused on captive negotiations.
More than 2 million people #Gaza depend on @UNRWA to survive as war and displacement continue.
Many are hungry as time runs out and a famine approaches. @UNRWA runs shelters for more than a million people and provides food and primary health care even at the height of hostilities.
– UNRWA (@UNRWA) January 27, 2024
Disastrous situation
The humanitarian situation is dire in Gaza, after Israeli attacks destroyed large swaths of the Palestinian enclave and displaced nearly 85 percent of the territory’s population.
Few health institutions operate in the enclave at low capacity and UNRWA facilities, mainly schools, have been widely used as shelter by displaced people.
Gunness, the former head of UNRWA, said the U.N. agency has just weeks before it runs out of money for its crucial aid work to save Palestinian lives in Gaza.
“My message to the Arab world, especially the Gulf countries, is: where are you? Because they earn billions every day from oil revenues. A tiny fraction of these oil revenues would make UNRWA’s financial problems disappear overnight. This unacceptable gap inflicted by these Western countries would be closed very quickly,” Gunness told Tel Aviv Tribune.
“Some of the most desperate people in the Middle East face starvation today, and Arab states must do their part. »
Meanwhile, Israel continues to bombard the central and southern parts of Khan Younis, with the Gaza Health Ministry reporting the killing of 174 Palestinians in the past 24 hours.
Nasser Hospital, the largest health facility in southern Gaza, has been under Israeli siege for five days and is on the verge of collapse. Doctors at the hospital warn he won’t be able to function for very long due to a lack of supplies.