Cairo, Feb 1 (EFE).- The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) warned on Thursday that it would be forced to suspend its humanitarian operations in Gaza and the Middle East by the end of February if funding to the organization is not resumed.
Last week, at least 16 Western countries, including the United States, halted their funding to the UN agency following accusations by Israel that some of its staff were involved in Hamas Oct. 7 attack on Israeli territory.
“If the funding remains suspended, we will most likely be forced to shut down our operations by the end of February not only in Gaza but also across the region,” UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement.
Lazzarini urged donors to resume funding to the agency, which remains the largest aid organization in one of “the most severe and complex humanitarian crises in the world.”
“As the war in Gaza is being pursued unabated, and at the time the International Court of Justice calls for more humanitarian assistance, it is the time to reinforce and not to weaken UNRWA,” he said.
Across the Gaza Strip, nearly two million people, mostly women and children, rely on aid from UNRWA as the agency manages overcrowded shelters, food assistance, and health care, among other services.
Most of these people live in makeshift structures, tents, or out in the open, it said. “It’s difficult to imagine that Gazans will survive this crisis without UNRWA.”
Israel has alleged that a dozen UNRWA workers participated in the Oct. 7 attack, which resulted in the deaths of around 1,200 people in Israeli towns and the kidnapping of another 250 by the Islamist Hamas group.
Following the accusations, UNRWA promptly dismissed 13 of its staff and initiated an investigation into their involvement in the attack.
The United States, Israel’s main ally and arms supplier, was the first country to suspend funding for UNRWA.
Several other countries, including Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland, Japan, , and , followed, suspending around $440 million in aid.
Besides Gaza, the agency provides assistance to millions of Palestinian refugees in the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. EFE
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