More countries pause funds for UN Palestinian agency; Israel wants ...

Palestinians gather at UNRWA Logistics Base in Rafah, the Gaza Strip, the southern Israeli-occupied territory on 17 December, 2023. Photo: YOMIURI SHIMBUN / Yomiuri / The Yomiuri Shimbun via AFP

Six European countries paused funding for the UN refugee agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) on Saturday, following allegations that some of its staff were involved in the 7 October Hamas attacks on Israel.

Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Finland on Saturday joined the United States, Australia and Canada in pausing funding to the aid agency, a critical source of support for people in Gaza, after the allegations by Israel.

"Palestinians in Gaza did not need this additional collective punishment," Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA commissioner-general, said on X. "This stains all of us."

The agency said on Friday it had opened an investigation into several employees and severed ties with those people.

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 militants in Gaza.

"In Gaza's rebuilding, @UNRWA must be replaced with agencies dedicated to genuine peace and development," he added on X.

Deputy UN spokesperson Farhan Haq, asked about Katz's remarks, said: "We are not responding to rhetoric. UNRWA overall had had a strong record, which we have repeatedly underscored."

Displaced Palestinians are taking shelter in a UNRWA-affiliated Deir al-Balah school after fleeing their homes due to Israeli strikes in Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, on 19 December, 2023. Photo: Majdi Fathi / NurPhoto / NurPhoto via AFP

Lazzarini said the decision by the nine countries threatened its humanitarian work across the region, especially in Gaza.

"It is shocking to see a suspension of funds to the Agency in reaction to allegations against a small group of staff, especially given the immediate action that UNRWA took by terminating their contracts and asking for a transparent independent investigation," he said in a statement.

The Palestinian foreign ministry criticised what it described as an Israeli campaign against UNRWA, and Hamas condemned the termination of employee contracts "based on information derived from the Zionist enemy".

Agency plays big role in Gaza aid

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.

It helps about two thirds of Gaza's 2.3 million population and has played a pivotal aid role during the war that Israel launched to eliminate Hamas after the 7 October attacks.

Announcing the investigation, Lazzarini said on Friday that he had decided to terminate the contracts of some staff members to protect the agency's ability to deliver humanitarian assistance.

Lazzarini did not disclose the number of employees allegedly involved in the attacks, nor the nature of their alleged involvement. He said, however, that "any UNRWA employee who was involved in acts of terror" would be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution.

A rainbow is appearing over the makeshift shelters in Deir El-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, on 11 January, 2024. Photo: Majdi Fathi / NurPhoto / NurPhoto via AFP

During weeks of Israeli bombardment of the Palestinian enclave, UNRWA has repeatedly said its capacity to render humanitarian assistance to people in Gaza is on the verge of collapse.

Hussein al-Sheikh, head of the Palestinians' umbrella political body the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), said cutting support to the agency brought major political and relief risks.

"We call on countries that announced the cessation of their support for UNRWA to immediately reverse their decision," he said on X.

The Foreign Ministry in Germany, a major donor to UNRWA, welcomed UNRWA's investigation, saying it was deeply concerned about the allegations raised against agency employees.

"We expect Lazzarini to make it clear within UNRWA's workforce that all forms of hatred and violence are totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated," it said on X.

-Reuters