London:
Six European countries on Saturday halted funding to the UN Refugee Agency for Palestinians (UNRWA), following allegations that some of its staff were involved in the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.
Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Finland joined the United States, Australia and Canada on Saturday in halting funding to the aid agency, a crucial source of support for the people of Gaza, following allegations of Israel.
“The Palestinians in Gaza did not need this additional collective punishment,” UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini said of X. “This colors us all.”
The agency said Friday it had opened an investigation into several employees and cut ties with those people.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz encouraged more donor suspensions and said UNRWA should be replaced once fighting in the enclave subsides. He accused the organization of ties to Islamic militants in Gaza.
“As we rebuild Gaza, @UNRWA must be replaced by agencies committed to real peace and development,” he added on X.
Asked about Katz's comments, UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq said: “We do not respond to rhetoric. UNRWA had a strong track record overall, which we have repeatedly underlined.”
Lazzarini said the decision by the nine countries threatened humanitarian work across the region, especially in Gaza.
“It is shocking to see the suspension of funds to the Agency in response to allegations against a small group of employees, especially given the immediate action taken by UNRWA to terminate their contracts and to initiate a transparent, independent investigation questions,” he said in a statement. .
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 provided by the Zionist enemy.”
UNRWA was founded to assist refugees from the 1948 war upon Israel's creation and provides education, health care and relief services to Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. It helps about two-thirds of Gaza's 2.3 million residents and has played a crucial role in the war Israel launched to eliminate Hamas after the October 7 attacks.
Announcing the investigation, Lazzarini said on Friday that he had decided to terminate the contracts of some staff to protect the organization's ability to provide humanitarian aid.
Lazzarini did not reveal the number of employees allegedly involved in the attacks or the nature of their alleged involvement. However, he said that “any UNRWA employee involved in acts of terrorism” would be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution.
During weeks of Israeli bombardment of the Palestinian enclave, UNRWA has repeatedly said its capacity to provide humanitarian aid to people in Gaza is on the brink of collapse.
Hussein al-Sheikh, head of the Palestinians' umbrella political body, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), said cutting support for the agency would entail major political and relief risks.
“We call on countries that have announced the end of their support to UNRWA to immediately reverse their decision,” he said on X.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Germany, a major donor to UNRWA, welcomed UNRWA's investigation and said it was deeply concerned by the allegations against temporary workers.
“We expect Lazzarini to make it clear within UNRWA staff that all forms of hatred and violence are completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” the report on X said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)