Six European countries suspended funding for the U.N. Refugee Agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) on Saturday after allegations by Israel that some of its staff were involved in the October 7 Hamas attacks.
Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Finland, along with the United States, Australia, and Canada, have halted funding the aid agency, a vital source of assistance for people in Gaza.
The suspension of funding, potentially amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars, by several Western nations to the U.N. agency aiding Palestinians comes at a critical time for Gazans. They are currently experiencing a worsening humanitarian crisis, grappling with the challenges of death, hunger, and disease due to Israel's attacks and the ongoing siege on the territory.
What is UNRWA?
UNRWA, or the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, was established in 1949. It is the largest UN agency operating in Gaza and provides healthcare, education, and humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. Employing around 13,000 people within Gaza, UNRWA has played a crucial role in assisting displaced civilians during Israel's offensive.
Israel, the source of the allegations against UNRWA employees, has a history of accusing various UN branches, including UNRWA, of bias and antisemitism.
At least 152 UNRWA staffers have been killed in Gaza since the commencement of the Israel-Hamas war, as reported by the agency.
What are the allegations?
Israel has accused certain UNRWA staff members of being involved in Hamas' October 7 attacks. However, neither Israel nor UNRWA have specified the nature of the alleged involvement of UNRWA employees in the events of October 7, and the number of employees allegedly involved has not been disclosed.
However, an Israeli official told CNN on Friday that Israel shared information about 12 staffers allegedly connected to the October 7 attacks with both UNRWA and the United States.
How did UNRWA respond?
The United Nations fired several staffers at its Palestinian refugee agency in response to Israeli claims of their involvement in the October 7 Hamas attack.
“These shocking allegations come as more than 2 million people in Gaza depend on lifesaving assistance that the agency has been providing since the war began,” UNRWA Director-General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement Friday. “Anyone who betrays the fundamental values of the United Nations also betrays those whom we serve in Gaza, across the region and elsewhere around the world.”
The agency said on Friday it had opened an investigation into several employees and severed ties with those people.
The EU stated it would assess further steps based on the result of the full and comprehensive investigation.
The US, Germany, and EU are among some of UNRWA's biggest donors.
UNRWA says it is struggling to get humanitarian aid to many of the estimated 1.7 million people - nearly three-quarters of the population - displaced by 12 weeks of war.
At least 26,257 people have been killed and 64,797 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The death toll in Israel from the October 7 Hamas attacks stands at 1,139.
