For more than three and a half months, the occupying Israeli forces have continued to invade Gaza in Palestine. Much of the besieged valley has already been reduced to rubble by their indiscriminate attacks. In the absence of safe water, food and medicine, every resident is living an inhumane life.
In such a situation, 8 countries announced the suspension of all relief aid for the war-torn Gazans led by the US.
The United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Finland are the latest names on the list after the United States, Australia and Canada announced a freeze on aid to the Palestinians. In two separate statements on Friday and Saturday (January 26-27), the countries announced they would not contribute money to UNWA’s Palestine Refugee Fund.
The countries’ reasoning behind the decision is that some UNWA staff helped with the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel. But there is no justification for announcing the aid freeze based on such allegations, UNWA condemned.
Established in 1949, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) is the largest UN agency operating in Gaza. The organization provides health care, education and other humanitarian assistance to Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. The organization has about 13,000 workers inside Gaza.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has called on countries that have suspended funding for Palestinian aid agencies to reconsider their decisions. More than 1 million Palestinians in Gaza are living on this fund, said Philip Lazzarini, head of the organization.
In a statement on Saturday (January 27), Philip said, ‘The decision to cut off funding to Palestinian relief organizations for alleged involvement in attacks against only a few people is regrettable. Moreover, it is irresponsible to issue such sanctions against an organization in a war situation. In these circumstances, it is not even conceivable to accuse some of them of involvement in terrorist activities.’
Incidentally, Israel has been accusing the United Nations of bias against this organization for a long time. The United States and 8 countries decided not to fund the United Nations Refugee Agency. However, the UN agency has announced the dismissal of the accused and a fair investigation.
