UNRWA attempts to fill funding gap amid reports that Israeli intelligence services 'provide no evidence of allegations' against staff
The head of UNRWA, the main United Nations relief agency for Palestine, said this week that donor countries withdrew funding following Israeli claims that some of the agency's staff were involved in the October 7 attack. He is visiting three Gulf states to strengthen support.
This comes in response to the leak of at least 12 Israeli intelligence assessments to the media, with UNRWA Director-General Philippe Lazzarini telling the FT that Israel has not provided evidence of its allegations to the authorities. This happened after adding that he was forced to do so. Palestinian employees had participated in Hamas attacks.
The United States has said it finds Israel's claims “very credible,” but the FT confirmed the intelligence assessment and reported that it “provides no evidence of the claims.”
About 15 of UNRWA's most important donors, including the United States, suspended funding after Israel claimed that 12 of the organization's 13,000 staff were involved in the October 7 attack. .
UNRWA warned last week that it could be forced to cease operations by the end of February unless funding is reinstated.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres today announced that former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna will lead an independent review of UNRWA's neutrality and ability to respond to alleged violations.
“The cooperation of the Israeli authorities who raised these allegations is critical to the success of the investigation,” Guterres said in a statement.
UNRWA Director-General Philippe Lazzarini today met with Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), to “maintain regional stability” and provide aid to 2 million people. He said in X that he would discuss UNRWA's efforts to deliver. Gaza.
Spokeswoman Juliet Touma told Reuters that Lazzarini will visit Qatar and Kuwait later this week.
“We hope that the companies that have paused (funding) will reconsider and that others will move forward as well,” she said.
Kuwait and Qatar rank 19th and 20th on UNRWA's top 20 donors list, contributing $12 million and $10.5 million, respectively, in 2022. The United Arab Emirates is not on the list.
Founded in 1949, UNRWA provides education, health and assistance services to millions of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. Gaza provides shelter to approximately one million people displaced by the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Some private donors and countries such as Spain have stepped forward to offer additional support, but Touma said it is not enough to make up the difference, estimated at about $440 million.