Two possible futures have been presented for the main UN agency for Palestinian refugees, although its supporters and critics seem to agree that the largest aid organization in Gaza is “at risk of death”.
This was the dire assessment of Philippe Lazzarini, head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), after 16 donor countries halted funding amid a humanitarian crisis. Accusations made by Israel Some of its employees were involved in the October 7 attack organized by the armed Hamas movement.
But after both Canada and Sweden Announce They were resuming contributions to UNRWA, and Lazzarini said he was “cautiously optimistic” that others would also reconsider soon – allowing the agency to continue its work.
UNRWA has been running schools and shelters for Palestinians in Gaza since 1949, and during the current conflict, its role has expanded to provide whatever assistance it can.
But the Israeli Foreign Ministry described the Ottawa and Stockholm decisions as a “huge mistake,” as the Israeli army said Local media However, it will “dismantle” the UN agency and replace it with an unnamed alternative.
What are the Israeli accusations?
In late January, Israel submitted an intelligence dossier to the United Nations and distributed it to UNRWA's main donor countries, alleging that 12 of the agency's 13,000 staff in Gaza had participated in the October attack on Israel, which left 1,200 people dead and captured. About 250 Israelis. . The document said that seven UNRWA employees had already stormed the border. Israel said many others were “radical” militants.
The workers were named and the file, which was not published, included their photos. One of the videos published showed a man, who Israel says works as a teacher, transporting the body of an Israeli soldier from a border community. Another is accused of participating in a kidnapping.
Last week, Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said The charge intensifiedHe said that “more than 450 UNRWA employees are military agents of terrorist groups,” including Hamas and other armed organizations, although he did not provide any evidence.
UNRWA's Lazzarini says that in the past he “did not receive the slightest concern” from Israel about its employees.
Some UNRWA staff who were detained by Israel and released back to Gaza said they were “subjected to threats and coercion by Israeli authorities while in detention,” and were pressured to falsely say that the agency had links to Hamas and that the staff had participated in the attack on Israel. According to an internal UNRWA report As seen by Reuters news agency. Israel did not address the specific accusations, but said it always acts in accordance with Israeli and international law.
In response to the original Israeli accusations, the United Nations fired dozens of identified workers and opened two investigations. One is run by the agency's Office of Internal Oversight, and is looking into employees' alleged involvement on October 7. The other evaluates “how UNRWA operates impartially.”“ Former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, who chaired it, said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long condemned UNRWA as too supportive of Hamas' leadership in Gaza and turning a blind eye to fighters who Israel says are digging tunnels under agency buildings and using UNRWA facilities, including schools and hospitals, for hiding and storage. arms. UNRWA denied knowledge of or support for these Hamas activities.
Canada is resuming its funding to UNRWA because the agency is the “backbone” of the humanitarian response to Palestinian civilians in Gaza — but the agency’s work to address concerns about its practices and credibility continues, International Development Minister Ahmed Hussein said.
How did the international community respond?
After the initial accusations, More than $600 million in support has dried up and UNRWA's future is in doubt. All countries said they would reassess the situation once the UN investigations were completed.
“The Secretary-General is horrified by this news,” said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. he He pledged to act immediately, based on any confirmed new information provided by Israel.
Washington said it was also “deeply disturbed,” and Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he found the Israeli brief “very credible.”
But the US intelligence community did not strongly endorse it, calling it “low confidence” – meaning Israel’s claims are plausible but arrived without real evidence – in an assessment. Shared with The Wall Street Journal.
At the time, Canada's Minister of International Development, Ahmed Hussen, said he was “deeply disturbed” by the accusations, but also “deeply concerned” about the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza.
This was the reason that prompted Norway not to cut its funding to UNRWA. saying “The situation is desperate” and the reason Spain Made new contributions last week.
It's also why Canada and Sweden have unfrozen their funds, although Ottawa has yet to announce when the money will start flowing again.
Canada announced that it is restoring funding to UNRWA. This funding was frozen in January following Israeli allegations that some UNRWA staff were involved in the October 7 Hamas attack. Canada's Ambassador to the United Nations, Bob Rae, explains the reasons that led to this decision.
what happened after that?
The United Nations report is expected to be issued in April.
These measures may provide the rationale some countries need to return aid to UNRWA, although Norway says it expects more to join Canada and Sweden and announce a radical shift soon.
With many of Gaza's 2.2 million Palestinians just one step away from famine, and widespread famine “almost inevitable,” according to UN officials, UNRWA's presence on the ground is urgently needed.
Even if aid begins to flow – if Israel surrenders to it American pressure It will allow more trucks to enter than it has so far, if there is a new port established by the United States Opens a main portal – Distributing them across the devastated territories of Gaza will pose a major challenge.
Guterres describes the agency as “the backbone of the entire humanitarian response in Gaza” because of its infrastructure.
But Israel shows no sign of cooperating with UNRWA, no matter how much international support it receives or how stable its funding is.
Netanyahu The post-war plan for Gaza It specifically excludes UNRWA, and IDF officials are already trying to find other agencies and NGOs to replace it, with no clear alternative. Israeli media reports.
