The countries, all from the Western bloc, decided to pause the funds after Israel denounced the involvement of UNRWA members in the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks.
Following Israel’s accusations that some UNRWA staff participated in the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, six European countries halted their funding to the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees on Saturday. They joined the United States, Australia and Canada, who had already suspended their support to the aid organization, which is vital for the people of Gaza.
“This is an additional collective punishment for Palestinians in Gaza,” said Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA commissioner-general, on X. “This affects all of us.”
The agency announced on Friday that it had launched an investigation into several staff members and cut off ties with them. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz urged more donors to stop funding UNRWA and said the agency should be replaced by other organizations that promote genuine peace and development in Gaza, once the conflict in the territory ends.
He also claimed that UNRWA had links to Islamist militants in Gaza. “In the reconstruction of Gaza, @UNRWA must be replaced with agencies that are committed to real peace and development,” he said on X.
Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the U.N., said in response to Katz’s comments: “We do not engage in rhetoric. UNRWA has a strong record of performance, which we have consistently highlighted.”
Lazzarini said the decision by the nine countries jeopardized its humanitarian work in the region, especially in Gaza. “It is appalling to see a freeze of funds to the Agency in response to allegations against a small number of staff, especially considering the prompt action that UNRWA took by terminating their contracts and requesting a transparent independent investigation,” he stated.
The Palestinian foreign ministry denounced what it called an Israeli campaign against UNRWA, and Hamas rejected the dismissal of staff members “based on information obtained from the Zionist enemy”.
UNRWA was established to assist refugees of the 1948 war that led to Israel’s creation and provides education, health and aid services to Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon. It serves about two thirds of Gaza’s 2.3 million people and has played a crucial role in providing aid during the war that Israel started to eradicate Hamas after the Oct. 7 attacks.
Lazzarini said on Friday that he had decided to end the contracts of some staff members to safeguard the agency’s ability to deliver humanitarian assistance. He did not reveal the number or the role of the staff members allegedly involved in the attacks. He said, however, that “any UNRWA staff member who was involved in acts of terror” would face consequences, including criminal prosecution.
UNRWA has repeatedly said that its ability to provide humanitarian assistance to people in Gaza is at risk of collapsing, due to the Israeli bombardment of the Palestinian enclave for weeks. Hussein al-Sheikh, leader of the Palestinian political umbrella group the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), said withdrawing support to the agency posed serious political and humanitarian challenges. “We urge countries that announced the cessation of their support for UNRWA to immediately reverse their decision,” he said on X.
The Foreign Ministry in Germany, a major donor to UNRWA, praised UNRWA’s investigation, saying it was very worried about the allegations against agency staff.
“We expect Lazzarini to make it clear to UNRWA’s staff that all forms of hatred and violence are completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” it said on X.
