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UNRWA attempts to plug funding gap – amid report Israel intelligence ‘provides no evidence for claims’ against staff
The head of the main UN Palestinian relief agency, UNRWA, is visiting three Gulf states this week to drum up support after donors suspended funding following Israeli allegations that some of the agency’s staff were involved in the 7 October attack.
It comes after the head of the UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, told the FT that Israel had not presented evidence of its allegations to agency, adding that it had been forced to respond to leaks in the media of an Israeli intelligence assessment that at least 12 of its Palestinian employees had taken part in the Hamas raid.
While the US has said it finds Israel’s allegations “highly credible”, the FT reported it had seen the intelligence assessment and that it “provides no evidence for the claims”.
Some 15 of UNRWA’s most important donors, including the US, have suspended funding after Israel alleged 12 of the agency’s 13,000 staff were involved in the 7 October attacks.
UNRWA warned last week that it might be forced to shut down its operations by the end of February if funding does not resume.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced today that an independent review of UNRWA’s ability to ensure neutrality and respond to allegations of breaches would be led by former French foreign minister Catherine Colonna.
“The cooperation of the Israeli authorities, who made these allegations, will be critical to the success of the investigation,” Mr Guterres said in a statement.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said on X he met with the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan today to discuss UNRWA’s work in “preserving the stability in the region” and delivering aid to two million people in Gaza.
Spokesperson Juliette Touma told Reuters that Mr Lazzarini would visit Qatar and Kuwait later this week.
“We are hoping those that paused (funding) will reconsider and others will step forward as well,” she said.
Kuwait and Qatar rank 19th and 20th in UNRWA’s list of top 20 donors, giving $12 million and $10.5 million respectively in 2022. The United Arab Emirates was not listed.
Set up in 1949, UNRWA provides education, health and aid services to millions of Palestinians across Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. In Gaza, it is providing shelter for some one million people displaced by the Israel-Gaza conflict.
While some private donors and countries like Spain have stepped up to offer additional help, Touma said that it was not nearly enough to offset the gap, estimated at about $440 million.
