Eight countries have decided to temporarily halt future funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East while an investigation is underway into claims that some of its staff took part in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel. The agency, known as UNRWA, is responsible for delivering vital humanitarian aid to Gaza, which has been heavily bombarded by the Israel Defense Forces in its effort to eliminate Hamas militants following the October strike. The countries that have paused funding include the United States, Germany, United Kingdom, Australia, Italy, Canada, Finland, and the Netherlands. The U.S. State Department stated that Israeli authorities provided information alleging the involvement of 12 UNRWA employees in the attacks. The UNRWA announced on Friday that it was severing ties with the workers and that the U.N. Office of Internal Oversight Services would carry out a thorough investigation into the allegations. Additional information about the employees and their alleged participation in the Oct. 7 attacks is currently unavailable. Israel’s foreign minister, Israel Katz, has accused the UNRWA of being the “civilian arm of Hamas in Gaza,” an accusation that the humanitarian aid agency strongly denies. Israel has long claimed that the UNRWA is collaborating with Hamas, the militant group that governs Gaza and initiated the attacks on Oct. 7. Palestinian women are seen walking in front of the UNRWA headquarters during a demonstration against the reduction in food aid distribution in June, photography by Yousef Masoud / SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images On Saturday, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini expressed concern that the funding pause from countries that contribute a significant portion of its budget will worsen the region’s humanitarian crisis, which has been worsened by the cutoff of fuel and supplies. Lazzarini noted in a statement, “It is shocking to see a suspension of funds to the Agency in reaction to allegations against a small group of staff, especially given the immediate action that UNRWA took by terminating their contracts and asking for a transparent independent investigation.” He appealed to the countries to reconsider their decision. “UNRWA is the primary humanitarian agency in Gaza, with over 2 million people depending on it for their sheer survival,” Lazzarini emphasized. The agency stated that it has a workforce of approximately 13,000 in Gaza, with around 3,000 personnel still operating in the enclave. “UNRWA shares the list of all its staff with host countries every year, including Israel,” Lazzarini reiterated in the statement. “The Agency never received any concerns on specific staff members.” Nearly 90% of the humanitarian agency’s budget is funded by U.N. member nations, with the United States, Germany, the European Union, Sweden, and Norway recorded as its top five contributors. The eight nations account for more than $600 million of the UNRWA’s annual funding, exceeding half of its estimated annual budget of $1.1 billion. These countries have stated that they are awaiting the results of the investigation before making further decisions. “We must make sure that not a single euro of Finland’s money goes to Hamas or other terrorists,” said Finland’s minister for foreign trade and development, Ville Tavio, in a statement on Saturday. Germany’s foreign ministry, in announcing the suspension of its funding, vowed to continue providing humanitarian assistance through its support to the International Committee of the Red Cross and UNICEF. Netherlands Minister for Foreign Trade Geoffrey van Leeuwen commented that his country will continue to assist civilians in Gaza through alternative means. Hamas released a statement condemning the termination of the workers’ contracts, stating that it was based on information gathered from the Israeli enemy. According to the health ministry in Gaza, the death toll in the enclave since Oct. 7 has exceeded 26,000. Nearly 85% of its 2.3 million population has been displaced due to the conflict. Palestine Liberation Organization Secretary General Hussein al-Sheikh expressed concern on social media about the timing of the funding pause, given Israel’s ongoing aggression against the Palestinian people. He also called on the nations that have stopped funding to reconsider their decision. Dennis Romero is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital.
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