Several key donor countries have temporarily paused funding to the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) after Israel accused 12 staff members of being involved in the October 7 attacks by Hamas in southern Israel.
UNRWA, a critical source of support for the people of Gaza, has promised a thorough investigation into the claims after suspending the employees allegedly involved, while Israel has vowed to stop the agency’s work in Gaza after the war.
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According to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, “nine out of the 12 implicated had been terminated, one was confirmed dead and the identities of the other two were being clarified.”
List of countries that have paused funding to UNRWA
After the allegations surfaced on Friday, the United States was the first to suspend funding for the UN agency. Several countries followed suit:
United States ($343.9 million)
Germany ($202.1 million)
European Union ($114.1 million)
Sweden ($61 million)
Japan ($30.2 million)
France ($28.9 million)
Switzerland ($25.5 million)
Canada ($23.7 million)
United Kingdom ($21.2 million)
Netherlands ($21.2 million)
Australia ($13.8 million)
Italy ($18 million)
Austria ($8.1 million)
Finland ($7.8 million)
New Zealand ($560.8 K)
Iceland ($558.7 K)
Romania ($210.7 K)
Estonia ($90 K)
Nine of these countries – US, Germany, Switzerland, Canada, Netherlands, UK, Italy, Australia and Finland – account for more than half of the organization’s donations.
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They contributed a total of $667.2 million in 2022 compared to $496.5 million provided by other donor countries in the same year, according to official UNRWA figures.
Countries that continue to fund UNRWA
Some countries, however, announced they will continue to support UNRWA considering it does crucial work to help Palestinians who are currently in desperate need of assistance in Gaza. They include:
Ireland
Norway
Ireland said it has no plans to suspend funding and welcomed UNRWA’s decision to investigate its employees saying the UN agency’s 13,000 employees in Gaza provide lifesaving assistance at an “incredible personal cost.”
Norway also said it will maintain funding to UNRWA and urged other donor countries to consider the consequences of their actions on the population in Gaza.
‘Additional collective punishment’
UNRWA’s chief Philippe Lazzarini has criticized the funding cuts as “additional collective punishment” as Israel’s war and siege continue to push Gaza’s population toward famine.
UNRWA lifesaving assistance is about to end following countries decisions to cut their funding to the Agency.
Our humanitarian operation, on which 2 million people depend as a lifeline in Gaza, is collapsing. I am shocked such decisions are taken based on alleged behavior of a…
— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) January 27, 2024
The agency on Monday said it would not be able to continue operations in Gaza and across the region beyond the end of February if funding was not resumed.
In the Gaza Strip, UNRWA provides services to 1,476,706 registered refugees, with 183 schools, 22 health facilities, and seven centers for women along with other facilities, all of which are at risk after the aid suspension announced by these nine countries.
Nearly 2 million civilians in Gaza depend on the UN agency for their daily survival.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) must be shut down.
“It’s time for the international community and the UN itself to understand that UNRWA’s mission must be terminated,” Netanyahu told visiting UN delegates, according to a statement from his office.
“It seeks to preserve the issue of Palestinian refugees. We must replace UNRWA with other UN agencies and other aid agencies, if we want to solve the Gaza problem as we plan to do.”
US LINK: More countries suspend UNRWA funding amid calls to reconsider decision (alarabiya.net)
