The European Union (EU) has called on international donors to resume funding for the UN’s largest agency in the Gaza Strip, UNRWA, following a report on Monday which found that Israel had failed to substantiate allegations that thousands of UNRWA staff were linked to terrorist groups, on Wednesday, the 24th April, reports the BBC.
A separate UN investigation is looking into Israeli claims that 12 UNRWA staff took part in the 7th of October attacks on Israel.
UNRWA, which provides health, education and humanitarian aid to Palestinians, employs 13 000 people in Gaza.
EU humanitarian chief Janez Lenarcic welcomed Monday’s report which highlighted UNRWA’s stable compliance systems and urged donors to support the agency, which
he described as a “lifeline for Palestinian refugees”.
Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide praised countries including Australia, Canada, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Japan and Sweden for having already resumed funding.
The US, the UK, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria and Lithuania have not yet done so.
The White House said that UNRWA funding will be restored when “real progress” is made, while reaffirming support for UNRWA’s important work.
While acknowledging that UNRWA is a “robust system”,
the report says it needs to do more to improve its neutrality, vetting and transparency.
The agency insists that it carries out detailed checks on staff references and provides staff lists to Israel.
The Israeli authorities point out that the report does not take into account the seriousness of the problem and argue that it offers symbolic solutions that do not address the extent of Hamas infiltration into UNRWA, as well as the fact that UNRWA has systematic ties with Hamas.
The EU call comes at a time when David Satterfield, the US humanitarian envoy for Gaza, has repeatedly warned that there is a very high risk of famine throughout the Palestinian territory, particularly in the north.
Israel has pledged to gradually increase aid to pre-war levels and UNRWA figures show that 316 trucks entered Gaza on Monday, the highest number since the start of the war.
Also read: UN chief pleads for UNRWA funding not to be stopped
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