On Saturday, Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, and Finland joined the United States, Australia, and Canada in pausing funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinians (UNRWA).
This decision follows allegations that some UNRWA staff were involved in the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel. The UK Foreign Office, Italy, the Netherlands, and Finland stated that they are temporarily suspending funding while reviewing the accusations.
Israel’s Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, called for the replacement of UNRWA after the fighting in Gaza subsided, accusing the agency of having ties to Hamas. UNRWA has initiated an investigation into the allegations, leading to the termination of contracts with certain staff members.
The agency, established in 1948 to assist refugees after Israel’s founding, provides essential services to Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon.
The Palestinian foreign ministry criticized what it deemed an Israeli campaign against UNRWA, while Hamas condemned the termination of employee contracts based on information from the “Zionist enemy.”
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini emphasized the agency’s commitment to delivering humanitarian assistance and holding any staff involved in acts of terror accountable, potentially through criminal prosecution.
During the Israeli bombardment of Gaza, UNRWA repeatedly highlighted the imminent collapse of its capacity to provide humanitarian aid.
The head of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) urged countries to reverse their decision to cut support to UNRWA, emphasizing the significant political and relief risks involved.
Germany, a major donor to UNRWA, welcomed the agency’s investigation, expressing deep concern about the allegations against its employees. The German Foreign Ministry expects UNRWA’s Commissioner-General to convey that all forms of hatred and violence within the agency’s workforce are unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
