The suspension of international funds to the United Nations Palestine Refugee Agency for the Middle East (UNRWA) sparks concern. Following accusations from Israel about the alleged involvement of some of the agency's officials in the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, several countries such as the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom have stopped their contributions. UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged reconsideration of the measure, ensuring the vital importance of UNRWA for the Palestinians. Meanwhile, the Gaza Health Ministry reports more than 26,422 deaths since the conflict escalated more than three months ago.
First modification:
4 min
The focus remains on the United Nations Palestine Refugee Agency for the Middle East (UNRWA). This Sunday, January 28, the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, demanded that donor countries “guarantee the continuity” of the agency.
The UN chief's announcement comes a day after multiple countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, Italy and Canada—following the United States' decision—announced that they were temporarily suspending their funding to UNRWA. A determination that came after Israel's accusations became known that some of the agency's members had allegedly participated with Hamas in the October 7 attacks, in which 1,200 people died in Israel, according to government figures. Israeli.
Guterres stated in a statement:
While I understand your concerns – I myself was horrified by these accusations – I strongly appeal to Governments that have suspended their contributions to at least ensure the continuity of UNRWA operations.
The UN Secretary General called for calm and assured that “any employee” of the organization “involved in acts of terrorism” will be punished. “The abhorrent alleged acts of these staff members must have consequences,” he said.
In addition, he detailed that of the 12 employees accused of participating in the attack, nine were immediately fired, the death of one of them was confirmed and “the identity of the other two is being clarified.”
However, he stressed the importance of UNRWA in the Gaza Strip, where it is essential for nearly two million people to access the most basic services.
The tens of thousands of men and women who work for UNRWA, many of them in some of the most dangerous situations for humanitarian workers, should not be penalized. The dire needs of the desperate populations they serve must be met, she stressed.
In the past, Guterres had already mentioned the importance of said agency that “it operates on the front lines of difficult conflict situations” and that “its educational and aid activities contribute to the stability of the region.”
UNRWA is financed mainly through voluntary contributions from UN Member States and has the distinction of being the only one specifically dedicated to helping refugees from a particular region or conflict.
Famine and humanitarian crisis: the possible consequences
The call to reconsider the suspension of funding was not only made by the head of the UN, but also by Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner general of UNRWA. He called on countries to “reconsider their decisions before UNRWA is forced to suspend its humanitarian response.”
Calls also sounded on the ground. “We used to say that Israel was launching a war of famine against us in parallel with its war of destruction, now the countries that suspended aid to UNRWA declared themselves partners in this war and collective punishment,” said Yamen Hamad, who lives in a UNRWA-run school in Deir Al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, after fleeing northern Gaza.
Additionally, Michael Fakhri, UN-appointed expert on the right to food, warned that funding cuts meant famine was now “inevitable” in Gaza.
In 1948, UNRWA was created to help refugees from the war at the time of Israel's founding. Since then it provides education, health and relief services to Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.
But their work has become even more significant since the war escalated on October 7, following Hamas attacks that killed some 1,200 people. Since then, the vast majority of people in Gaza depend on its services.
The humanitarian situation has been deteriorating as Israel has intensified its attacks. In fact, the Gaza Ministry of Health stated this Sunday that at least 26,422 people have died in the Palestinian enclave since October 7. In addition, he assured that in the last 24 hours, 165 people died.
Split positions
Saturday, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz called on more countries to join the funding suspension. At the moment, nine have made this determination. Furthermore, he assured that he will seek to ensure that UNRWA does not operate in Gaza in a post-war scenario.
Following new requests from the UN to reconsider this decision, the countries that stopped resources directed to UNRWA have not changed their minds.
It must be remembered that the United States is the agency's largest donor and was the first to suspend its donations.
However, countries like Norway have decided to continue with their financing, ensuring that it is necessary to differentiate people allegedly involved from the organization as such.
With AP and Reuters
#Guterres #calls #countries #ensure #continuity #UNRWA #operations