- UNRWA funding suspended
- Israel alleges staff involvement
- Massive displacement in Gaza
Countries that have ceased funding the United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees, UNRWA, have been urged by United Nations Chief António Guterres to resume operations.
Mr. Guterres stated, “The desperate needs of the populations they serve must be met.”
The action was taken by eight nations, including the United Kingdom, in response to Israel’s information that UNRWA personnel were implicated in the fatal Hamas attacks on Israel on 7 October.
While conducting an investigation, the agency has already terminated several employees.
The United States, Australia, Canada, Finland, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands have ceased providing financial support to UNRWA.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency, UNRWA, was established in 1949 and is the largest UN agency in Gaza. It provides humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Syria, Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, and Lebanon, in addition to healthcare and education. Approximately 13,000 individuals are employed within Gaza.
Since Israel launched its offensive in retaliation for the Hamas assaults, UNRWA has housed hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians in its facilities throughout Gaza.
Different UN agencies, including UNRWA, have long been accused by Israel of prejudice and even antisemitism.
UNRWA Under Scrutiny for Staff Conduct
The precise nature of the Israeli accusations remains obscure; however, Israeli media reports indicate that UNRWA facilities and vehicles might have been involved in the assault in which approximately 1,300 people, the majority of whom were civilians, were killed by Hamas gunmen and an additional 240 were taken captive.
On Friday, an adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that “individuals who are on their [UNRWA salaries] salaries” were responsible for the Hamas attacks of 7 October.
Mr. Regev further mentioned an Israeli detainee who, upon her release, disclosed that she had been “confined within the residence of an individual employed by UNRWA.”
According to a statement released on Saturday by the United Nations Secretary-General, Israel leveled allegations against twelve UNRWA employees; of those, two were being “clarified” regarding their identities, while nine had been terminated, and one had passed away.
Mr. Guterres stated that he sympathized with the government’s apprehensions regarding the suspension of funding. “I was personally appalled by these allegations,” he continued, adding, “These staff members’ allegedly abhorrent actions must have repercussions.”
The UN chief stated, however, that this should not imply that the agency’s tens of thousands of employees should be penalized.
The statement by Mr. Guterres was in response to a vehement reaction from the chief of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, who described the decision to suspend funds as “shocking” in light of the limited number of staff implicated in the Israeli allegations.
He clarified that UNRWA annually provided Israel with its staff roster and had never received any objections.
Certain nations have declared their intention to maintain their assistance to UNRWA. The representative of Norway to the Palestinian Authority stated that UNRWA played a “critical role” in aid distribution and emphasized the “necessity to differentiate between the actions of individual actors and the organization’s mission.”
Devastating Impact of Gaza Conflict
Foreign Minister Israel Katz demanded the resignation of Mr. Lazzarini and stated that his objective was to cease UNRWA operations in Gaza following the conflict.
Israel’s enormous retaliation against Hamas in Gaza, which included airstrikes and shelling, has claimed the lives of over 26,000 Palestinians, according to the health ministry of the territory in which Hamas operates.
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Twelve weeks of conflict have displaced an estimated 1.7 million people, or nearly three-quarters of the population, according to UNRWA, which is having difficulty delivering humanitarian aid to many of them.
Recently, the battle has focused on Khan Younis, where thousands of displaced northern Palestinians gathered.
Many are reportedly migrating southward towards Rafah, located on the Egyptian frontier.
The majority of northern Gaza has been devastated as Israel continues its campaign with the declared objective of eradicating Hamas.
Twenty to forty percent of the tunnels reportedly under Israeli control have been rendered inoperable thus far, according to US and Israeli officials cited by the Wall Street Journal.
