The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported late Tuesday that Canada intends to resume funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) after weeks of suspension due to Israeli allegations that 12 agency employees were involved in the Hamas attack on October 7. The agency cited an unnamed government official stating that the federal government plans to transfer CAD 25 million (USD 18.5 million) in April and announce new funding.
Spokespersons from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of International Development, which oversees Canadian aid, declined to comment on this news. If this information is confirmed, Canada would be one of the first countries to reverse the freeze on funding provided to the agency, which employs 13,000 people in Gaza managing schools, health clinics, and other social services, as well as distributing humanitarian aid.
Juliette Touma, the Director of Media and Communications at UNRWA, told Reuters earlier Wednesday that the sixteen countries that suspended USD 450 million in funding for the agency have not yet reversed their decision. Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide suggested today that many of these countries might reconsider, and funding could resume soon.
