More nations stop funding the UN Palestinian agency. Following allegations that some UNRWA employees were involved in the Hamas attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, six European nations stopped providing UNRWA with funding on Saturday, according to Reuters.
In response to the allegations made by Israel, Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Finland, along with the United States, Australia, and Canada, suspended funding to the aid organization, which was a crucial source of support for people in Gaza.
“Palestinians in Gaza didn’t require this extra aggregate discipline,” Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA magistrate general, said on X. “This stains us all.”
On Friday, the organization announced that it had severed ties with several employees and launched an investigation into them.
More nations stop funding the UN Palestinian agency
Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz said UNRWA should be replaced once fighting in the enclave stops and that it has ties to Islamist militants in Gaza, encouraging more donor suspensions.
On X, he added, “In Gaza’s rebuilding, @UNRWA must be replaced by agencies dedicated to genuine peace and development.” When questioned about Katz’s remarks, Deputy U.N. spokesperson Farhan Haq stated, ” Rhetoric is not what we are responding to. We have repeatedly emphasized UNRWA’s excellent overall record.
Lazzarini said the choice by the nine nations undermined its compassionate work across the district, particularly in Gaza.
“Especially given UNRWA’s immediate action of terminating their contracts and asking for a transparent independent investigation,” he said in a statement. “It is shocking to see a suspension of funds to the Agency in response to allegations against a small group of staff.”
The Palestinian unfamiliar service scrutinized what it portrayed as an Israeli mission against UNRWA, and Hamas censured the end of representative agreements “in light of data got from the Zionist adversary”.
UNRWA is a Palestinian organization that provides education, health care, and other assistance to Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon. It was established to assist refugees from the 1948 war at the founding of Israel. It assists approximately two-thirds of the 2.3 million people living in Gaza and has played a crucial aid role during Israel’s war to eliminate Hamas following the attacks on October 7.
Reporting the examination, Lazzarini said on Friday that he had chosen to end the agreements of some staff individuals to safeguard the organization’s capacity to convey compassionate help.
Lazzarini didn’t say how many employees were allegedly involved in the attacks or how they were allegedly involved. However, he stated that “any UNRWA employee who was involved in acts of terror” would be held accountable, which could include going to jail.
UNRWA has repeatedly stated that it is unable to provide Gazans with humanitarian assistance due to Israeli bombardment, which has lasted for weeks.
According to Hussein al-Sheikh, the head of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the political umbrella organization for Palestinians, cutting off support for the agency posed significant political and humanitarian risks.
On X, he said, “We call on countries that announced the cessation of their support for UNRWA to immediately reverse their decision.” Germany’s Foreign Ministry, a major donor to UNRWA, said it was deeply concerned about the allegations made against agency employees.
According to the statement that was made on X, “We anticipate that Lazzarini should make it clear within UNRWA’s labor force that all types of contempt and brutality are unsuitable and will not continue without serious consequences.”
Revealing by James Davey in London, Gavin Jones in Rome, Dan Williams in Jerusalem, Nidal al-Mugrahbi in Doha, Toby Authentic in Amsterdam, Thomas Escritt in Berlin, Michelle Nichols in New York Altering by William Maclean, Andrew Cawthorne, Frances Kerry and Scratch Macfie
More nations stop funding the UN Palestinian agency.More nations stop funding the UN Palestinian agency.More nations stop funding the UN Palestinian agency.More nations stop funding the UN Palestinian agency.More nations stop funding the UN Palestinian agency.