Western nations, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, Australia, France, Japan, and Canada, have suspended funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in response to allegations made by Israel, accusing the agency of involvement in the October 7 attack.
Eleven members of UNRWA, which plays a crucial role in providing essential food assistance to prevent starvation in war-torn Gaza, have been accused by Israel of their alleged involvement in a Hamas attack, with the Palestinian Authority Presidency categorically rejecting and condemning the allegations as an oppressive campaign led by Israel.
France has declared that it will not sanction payments for the first half of 2024, urging the United Nations and other major donors to withhold funding and labeling the accusations as 'exceptionally serious.’
“We have decided to suspend funding to the Agency for now; we are extremely concerned about the alleged involvement of UNRWA staff members in the attack on Israel. We strongly urge UNRWA to conduct an investigation in an apparent manner,” said Japan’s Foreign Ministry.
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi responded to the suspension, stating, "UNRWA serves as the lifeline for over 2 million Palestinians facing starvation in Gaza. It should not be subjected to collective punishment based on allegations against 12 individuals out of its 13,000 staff.
He said, "UNRWA did the right thing and started looking into the situation. We want the countries that stopped giving money to change their decision."
Last Friday, UNRWA said it's investigating some of its workers in the October 7 incident where fighters from Gaza entered “Israel.”
UNRWA ended contracts with some staff over the accusation.
Since the Gaza war began, Israel accused UNRWA employees of helping Hamas, using it as a justification to attack the organization's schools and facilities in Gaza, sheltering displaced Palestinian populace.
The Israeli claim coincides with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) declaring South Africa's assertion that Israel is committing genocide as plausible. Following the ICJ's order for Israel to stop blocking aid to Gaza and improve the humanitarian situation, Israel ignored the ruling and continued its attack on Gaza.
As of October 7, at least 26,751 Palestinians, predominantly women and children, have been killed, with 65,636 wounded in Israeli attacks.
The offensive displaced 85% of Gaza's population, leading to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine.
UN reports reveal the destruction of 60% of Gaza's infrastructure, excluding the erasure of 200 historical sites.