On Saturday, six European nations paused funding for the U.N. refugee agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) following allegations that some of its staff were involved in the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel. Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Finland joined the United States, Australia, and Canada in pausing funding to the aid agency, which is a critical source of support for people in Gaza, following the allegations by Israel.
“Palestinians in Gaza did not need this additional collective punishment,” stated Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA commissioner-general in response. “This stains all of us.”
UNRWA said on Friday that it had opened an investigation into several employees and severed ties with those individuals. Encouraging more donor suspensions, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said UNRWA should be replaced once fighting in the enclave dies down and accused it of ties to Islamist extremists in Gaza.
“In Gaza’s rebuilding, @UNRWA must be replaced with agencies dedicated to genuine peace and development,” he added. Deputy U.N. spokesperson Farhan Haq, asked about Katz’s remarks, said responses should not be based on rhetoric. UNRWA overall had had a strong record, which we have repeatedly underscored.
Lazzarini said the decision by the nine countries threatened the humanitarian work across the region, especially in Gaza. He stressed how shocking it is to see a suspension of funds to the agency due to allegations against a small group of staff. The Palestinian foreign ministry criticized what it described as an Israeli campaign against UNRWA, and Hamas condemned the termination of employee contracts based on information derived from Israel.
UNRWA was set up to help refugees of the 1948 war at Israel’s founding and provides education, health, and aid services to Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon. During weeks of Israeli bombardment of the Palestinian enclave, UNRWA has repeatedly stated that its capacity to render humanitarian assistance to people in Gaza is on the verge of collapse.
The head of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s umbrella political body stated that cutting support to the agency brought major political and relief risks. Also, the Foreign Ministry in Germany, a major donor to UNRWA, welcomed UNRWA’s investigation, saying it was deeply concerned about the allegations raised against the agency employees.