- Lazzarini said on Friday that Israel had provided the agency with “information about the alleged involvement of a number of UNRWA employees” in the Hamas attack on October 7, without specifying further. He said that UNRWA had begun an independent investigation.
- UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that 12 UNRWA employees were involved in these alleged accusations. bad behavior. Of those, “nine were immediately identified and terminated,” one was “confirmed dead,” and “the identity of the other two is being clarified,” he said on Sunday.
- Since Friday, at least nine countries have suspended their funding to UNRWA. Lazzarini said the moves were “shocking” and urged countries to preserve life-saving aid for vulnerable Palestinians.
- It is not clear whether the funding halt is immediate or will affect future funding pledges, but Guterres said UNRWA could run out of money to meet all the needs of war-displaced Palestinians as soon as February.
- A spokesman for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said the move to suspend funding “sends the wrong message” and urged countries to reverse course. “It is a humanitarian issue,” Nabil Abu Rudeina said.
Israeli officials have not publicly provided many details about the allegations against UNRWA employees. The US State Department said it had contacted Israel “to obtain further information.” When contacted early Sunday, UNRWA declined to comment further.
Mark Regev, a senior adviser to the Israeli prime minister, told the BBC on Friday that the released Israeli hostage said she had been “held in the home of someone who works for UNRWA.” The Washington Post was unable to independently verify these allegations.
After several countries announced the cessation of their funding to UNRWA, Lazzarini said in a statement: “It is shocking to see the suspension of the agency’s funds in response to allegations against a small group of employees.” He said that the countries that suspended their funding should “reconsider their decisions before UNRWA is forced to suspend its humanitarian response.”
The Gaza Ministry of Health says at least 26,422 people have been killed and 65,087 others injured in the Strip since the start of the Israeli military operation. United Nations estimates indicate that more than 1.9 million people have been displaced in the region.
UNRWA was established in 1949 by a United Nations resolution to provide direct relief to Palestinian refugees following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. It provides education, health care, social services and other humanitarian assistance to registered Palestinian refugees. It also runs schools for more than half a million students. UNRWA serves people in the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan and Lebanon.
The agency has specific eligibility guidelines for who can register: a person whose “natural residence was Palestine during the period from June 1, 1946, to May 15, 1948, and who lost their home and means of subsistence as a result of the 1948 conflict.”
Male descendants of Palestinian refugees are also eligible, according to the agency's website, which says about 5.9 million Palestinians are eligible for its services. About 2 million people live in the Gaza Strip, and 3 million in the West Bank, according to American estimates in 2022.
Most of UNRWA's funding comes from “voluntary contributions” from UN Member States, with a small portion of its funding coming from the UN regular budget. The agency's largest donors in 2022 were the United States, Germany, the European Union, Sweden, Norway and Japan.
She added that UNRWA's mandate had been repeatedly renewed “in the absence of a solution to the Palestinian refugee problem.” The United Nations renewed the mandate in December 2022 until June 2026.
The conflict between the Israeli authorities and UNRWA began long before 7 October. For years, Israel has accused the agency of setting an overly broad definition of who qualifies as a Palestinian refugee. Israeli officials have also long accused UNRWA of turning a blind eye to incitement to violence inside Gaza.
The agency has dealt with the withdrawal of US funding before. In 2018, President Donald Trump suspended his support for UNRWA, saying Washington no longer wanted to disproportionately fund the agency. The State Department said at the time that the agency's finances were “unsustainable.” In 2021, President Biden restored $150 million in US funding to UNRWA.
Which countries have stopped funding?
At least nine countries have announced plans to temporarily stop funding UNRWA in response to Israel's allegations.
United State: State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said on Friday that the United States had “temporarily suspended additional funding to UNRWA” while it reviews Israel's allegations and the UN's response.
Canada: International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen said on Friday that Canada had “temporarily suspended any additional funding to UNRWA while it conducts a comprehensive investigation.” He continued: “If these allegations prove accurate, Canada expects UNRWA to act immediately against those who determined their involvement” in the October 7 attack. He added that Canada will continue to “work with other partners” to provide aid to civilians in Gaza.
Australia: Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Friday that the allegations were “deeply troubling.” “Australia welcomes UNRWA's rapid response and will participate closely in the investigations,” Wong said. “We are talking with partners and will temporarily halt the disbursement of the latest funding.”
Germany: The State Department said on Saturday that it would suspend funding for UNRWA “in agreement with other donor countries” pending an investigation into Israel’s allegations. The ministry said in a tweet that it expects the investigation to be “comprehensive and complete.”
United kingdom: The British Foreign Office announced Saturday that Britain is “temporarily suspending any future funding” to the agency pending a review of the Israeli accusations. He added: “We are committed to delivering humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza who are in dire need of it.”
Italy: Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani He said On Saturday, Italy announced the suspension of its funding for UNRWA along with its allies, adding that it remains committed to providing humanitarian aid to the Palestinians and protecting Israel’s security.
Holland: Dutch media reported on Saturday that the Netherlands would also suspend its funding for UNRWA. Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Minister Geoffrey van Leeuwen told the Dutch Broadcasting Corporation that his government was “deeply shocked” by the allegation that “UN money, our money, was used to carry out the October 7 attacks.”
Finland: The Finnish Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that Finland would suspend its funding due to Israel's allegations.
