The UK is ceasing funding for the UN’s main aid agency for Palestinian refugees following accusations that some of its employees were involved in the 7 October attacks by Hamas in Israel last year. This decision comes after the US state department stated that it would not provide additional funding to the UN Relief and Works Agency until the allegations were addressed. Australia, Italy, and Canada have also suspended funding for the agency, and they were later joined by the Netherlands and Finland.
A statement from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) said: “The UK is shocked by allegations that UNRWA staff participated in the 7 October attack against Israel, a terrible act of terrorism that the UK government has consistently condemned. The UK is temporarily stopping any future funding of UNRWA while we review these troubling allegations. We remain committed to delivering humanitarian aid to the people in Gaza who are in desperate need of it.”
Finland, which had a four-year agreement to provide €5m annually to UNRWA, suspended its payments and its foreign ministry called for an investigation to ensure that “not a single euro of Finland’s money goes to Hamas or other terrorists”. The Dutch trade and development minister, Geoffrey van Leeuwen, said his nation was freezing funding while the investigation was carried out, stating that his government was “extremely shocked”.
The Italian foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, said his nation was “committed to providing humanitarian aid to the Palestinian population while protecting Israel’s security” as he announced the suspension of funding. Switzerland also declared that no decision would be made on its 2024 payment to the UNRWA until the accusations were clarified.
Following these announcements, the Israeli foreign minister, Israel Katz, urged more donors to withdraw funding, adding: “In Gaza’s rebuilding, UNRWA must be replaced with agencies dedicated to genuine peace and development.” Chris Doyle, from the Council for Arab-British Understanding, expressed concerns saying, “The UNRWA have 13,000 staff working at 350 installations in Gaza serving 1.7 million Palestinian refugees. Currently, it is sheltering 1 million [internally displaced persons]. It sacked 12 staff members based on allegations. How can such a large agency operating in a war zone, in an area under Israeli occupation, be expected to police 24 hours, 7 days a week? The UK [government] has, by suspending funding to UNRWA, caved in to those who have been enabling Israeli crimes and possible genocide.”
The Irish tanaiste, Micheál Martin, stated that his nation had no plans to suspend funding and backed the UNRWA’s decision to take action against the staff suspected of involvement in the “heinous” attacks by Hamas. However, he made it clear that Ireland did not intend to take similar action to the likes of the US and UK.
On Friday, UNRWA launched an investigation into several employees accused of taking part in the attacks and stated that it had severed ties with those workers. The agency’s commissioner general, Philippe Lazzarini, said: “The Israeli authorities have provided UNRWA with information about the alleged involvement of several UNRWA employees in the horrific attacks on Israel on 7 October.” 
UN agency head ‘horrified’ by allegation that staff joined Hamas attacks – video“To protect the agency’s ability to deliver humanitarian assistance, I have taken the decision to immediately terminate the contracts of these staff members and launch an investigation in order to establish the truth without delay.”
Information leading to the investigation is thought to have been gathered by Israeli intelligence services, which are also reported to have found evidence that the agency’s vehicles and facilities may have been used during the 7 October attack. UNRWA has been under pressure since the beginning of the conflict, with Israeli officials alleging complicity with Hamas. The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and others have accused the agency of fueling anti-Israeli sentiments, allegations it denies.
The secretary general of the UN, António Guterres, was horrified by the allegations, his spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, said. UNRWA, which was established in 1949 after the first Arab-Israeli war, provides services including schooling, primary healthcare, and humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon.
