Finance
Funding suspension would force UNRWA to halt all its activities in the conflict-ridden Gaza Strip in a few weeks, the UN relief agency’s Commissioner-General said.
Philippe Lazzarini said on his social media X account on Sunday that the suspension decision is “regrettable,” stressing that the agency “relies on the support of our partners to maintain our humanitarian response to two million people in Gaza and Palestinian refugees in the region”.
The Xinhua news agency said that the US, Canada, Britain, Germany, Australia, Finland, and the Netherlands chose to stop funding UNRWA after Israel accused multiple UNRWA staff members of possibly being involved in the attack on Israel on October 7 of last year.
After learning of the allegations made against its staff, Lazzarini expressed his “shock” and stated that the organization has made the decision to “dismiss the employees concerned and to commence an investigation without delay.”
“UNRWA is also implementing structural reforms to enhance the commitment of its staff to humanitarian principles, including the principle of neutrality, with independent experts responsible for assessing and deepening our efforts in this direction,” he noted.
Until a fair and long-lasting solution to the Palestinian refugees’ predicament is found, UNRWA, which was founded by the UN General Assembly in 1949, is entrusted with providing humanitarian aid and safety to those registered in the agency’s operational territories.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani condemned Israel’s charges against UNRWA employees on Sunday.
“The accusations hurled by Israel against some of the UNRWA staff members are another malicious act in completion of Israel’s inhumane actions against Palestinians,” he was quoted in a statement published on the Ministry’s website as saying.
Source:IANS
