The U.S. State Department announced on Friday the suspension of additional funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). They stated they are reviewing allegations involving 12 UNRWA employees in the October 7 attack. According to Agence France-Presse, the U.S. State Department declared it would "temporarily suspend" new funding for UNRWA following accusations from Israeli authorities about certain agency employees' involvement in the attack carried out by Hamas on October 7.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said, "Israeli authorities provided UNRWA with information about the alleged involvement of several of its employees in the horrific attacks on Israel on October 7." He continued, "To protect the agency's ability to provide humanitarian assistance, a decision has been made to terminate these employees' contracts immediately and to initiate an investigation to ascertain the truth without delay."
Lazzarini did not disclose the number of employees allegedly involved or the nature of their suspected involvement but stated, "Any UNRWA employee involved in terrorist acts will be held accountable, including criminal prosecution." A spokesperson for UNRWA provided no further details on the matter.
Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy accused UNRWA of releasing this information while global attention was focused on the International Court of Justice, which ordered Israel to prevent acts of genocide against Palestinians and to make more efforts to assist civilians in Gaza. Levy wrote on X, "On any other day, this could have been a major headline: Israel provides evidence of UN staff involvement with Hamas."
**Guterres 'Appalled'**
UN Secretary-General António Guterres was informed of these allegations, stated spokesperson Stephane Dujarric. Dujarric said, "The Secretary-General was appalled by this news," indicating that Guterres has asked Lazzarini to conduct an investigation to ensure the immediate termination of any UNRWA employee found to be involved in or inciting the October 7 attacks and to refer them for potential criminal prosecution. He added, "An independent, urgent, and comprehensive review of UNRWA will be conducted."
UNRWA has previously stated that its ability to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza residents is on the verge of collapse. The United States, Germany, and the European Union topped the list of UNRWA's largest donors in 2022. The U.S. State Department expressed extreme concern regarding these allegations involving around 12 UNRWA employees. They added that they would not provide any additional funding to the agency while these allegations are being considered.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated, "The State Department has temporarily halted additional funding for UNRWA while we examine the matter of these allegations and the steps being taken by the United Nations to address them." EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said he would "evaluate further steps and draw lessons based on the outcome of a full and thorough investigation."
Established in 1949 following the first war between Arab states and Israel, UNRWA provides services such as education, primary healthcare, and humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon. Israeli authorities, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accuse the agency of inciting aggression against Israel, which UNRWA denies.
UNRWA assists Palestinians and uses its facilities to shelter those fleeing the bombardment and ground assault launched by Israel on Gaza after the October 7 attacks, which Israel claims resulted in 1,200 deaths and 253 hostages. Palestinian health officials report that the Israeli attack has destroyed large parts of densely populated Gaza and resulted in over 26,000 Palestinian deaths.
