Congress Agreement Blocks Funding for UNRWA Until March 2025

Reuters reported that the agreement reached between U.S. congressional leaders and the White House regarding government funding will continue to impose a ban on funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) until March 2025. The Biden administration announced last January that it had temporarily halted new funding for UNRWA after Israel accused 12 of its 13,000 employees in Gaza of being involved in the October 7 attack. Last month, the U.S. Senate passed legislation to cut funding for the agency as part of a $95 billion bill providing aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, which has stalled in the House of Representatives. Sources familiar with the agreement indicated that funding would be frozen for a year, and that details of alternative efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza would be discussed after the legislation is published. The White House and congressional leaders declined to comment on the details of the agreement until the spending bill texts are released. The United Nations has begun an investigation into the allegations against UNRWA staff, and the agency has dismissed some employees after receiving information from Israel.