iNEWS
The UK, US, and seven other countries have pulled crucial funding for the United Nations aid agency for Palestinian refugees after Israel claimed several of its staff members were involved in the deadly October 7 Hamas attacks.
Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Finland, Australia, and Canada all joined the UK and US in pausing funding for the agency, which has become a crucial source of support for the people of Gaza since 1949.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres confirmed in a statement on Sunday that 12 UNRWA staff members were at the centre of the allegations – nine of whom had now been fired. One staffer has died dead and the identities of the other two are still being clarified, he said.
Announcing it was pulling funding, the US State Department said it was “extremely troubled” by the claims, while Business Secretary, Kemi Badenoch said it was quite right that the UK Government had suspended its own funding.
What does the UN agency provide for refugees on the Gaza Strip?
The UNRWA is the biggest aid agency operating in Gaza, with more than two million relying on its services. Formed in 1949, it employs some 13,000 people who provide urgent humanitarian aid, including healthcare and education, across the West Bank, in neighbouring Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.
The agency has also provided shelter to hundreds and thousands of refugees since the outbreak of the conflict after Hamas’ October 7 attacks last year.
An estimated two-thirds of Gaza’s 2.3 million population receive help from the organisation which has played an even greater role in the region since the outbreak of the conflict…
