The UN aid agency for Palestinian refugees has said that international funding cuts may force the shutdown of its operations across the region “by the end of February”.
Several major donor countries to UNRWA said they would suspend funding after Israel alleged 12 agency employees took part in Hamas’s 7 October attack.
UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said that “if the funding remains suspended, we will most likely be forced to shut down our operations by end of February not only in Gaza but also across the region”.
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said after talks with Mr Lazzarini that he “emphasised the immediate need for the international community to support UNRWA, which plays an indispensable role for Palestinian refugees, serving as a lifeline for over two million Palestinians facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis in Gaza”.
A foreign ministry statement in Amman said that both Mr Safadi and Mr Lazzarini urged countries that have suspended aid to UNRWA to “reconsider their decision”.
“Any reduction in financial support provided to the agency will exacerbate the suffering of the people of Gaza, who are already on the brink of mass starvation,” the statement said.
‘Reasonably optimistic’
Meanwhile, Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide has said he was “reasonably optimistic” some countries that had paused funding to UNRWA would resume payments.
“I am reasonably optimistic that we will get funding back on track,” Mr Barth Eide said in an interview.
He said “many countries” were realising that the current situation could not last very long. He declined to name specific countries.
“They’re looking for a way out. And maybe if now UNRWA comes up quickly with a good response, which is accepted as serious, they will then happily restart,” he said.
“Because I think we hear from several governments, and also governments who have been vocal publicly about the need to suspend, that they understand the very, very serious consequences.”
The Nordic country, a top donor to UNRWA, said yesterday that it was urging countries that have paused funding to the agency to consider the consequences of their actions on the population in Gaza.
Oslo is maintaining its funding following accusations that some agency staff took part in the 7 October attack by Hamas militants, in contrast to several other countries.
Asked whether he was speaking with his counterpart in Sweden, a top UNRWA donor that paused funding and is a close Norway ally, he said: “I’ll be very careful about mentioning individuals. But of course, we talk to our close friends.”
Meanwhile, in Israel, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant described UNRWA as “Hamas with a facelift,” when briefing a visiting delegation of ambassadors to the UN, according to a statement from his office.
An Israeli government spokesperson reiterated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s call for UNRWA to be replaced with other aid agencies, and urged countries to start work on this.
“The UN already has aid agencies with expertise in emergency relief in conflict zones. To date, however, they have been prevented from operating from Gaza because of UNRWA’s monopoly,” the spokesperson, Eylon Levy, said in a briefing.
“These viable alternatives must be developed now so that aid can be distributed effectively and professionally instead of being routed through an agency that is not just compromised by terrorists, but failing to do its job.”
