Israel has accused 12 employees of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) of being involved in Hamas’ October 7 operation.
This immediately resulted in a number of countries pausing their financial support for the agency and UNRWA’s Chief, Philippe Lazzarini, firing nine of the accused (of other three – one is dead and two are unaccounted for).
Suspending UNRWA funding at this time, where the amount of aid trickling into Gaza is nothing to write home about and starvation of its people looms particularly in northern Gaza, is sure to cause more harm than good to the many destitute and hungry Palestinians.
The UNRWA was already facing challenges even before Israel’s allegations. A number of its workers have been killed.
The embattled UN agency for Palestinian refugees announced on Thursday, February 1, 2024 that its facilities housing displaced families across the Gaza Strip have come under attack at least 270 times resulting in 372 people killed.
The UN agency said that the situation in Gaza is “utterly desperate.”
“Because there is nowhere else to go, people continue to shelter in these same UN facilities, even after attacks,” UNRWA said in a post on social media.
In an earlier post, UNRWA said every day is a “struggle to survive” for the people of Gaza who lack clean water and food.
“Without safe water, many more people will die from deprivation and disease,” the UN agency warned.
Also, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) warned that the UNRWA funding freeze could hasten famine in Gaza.
HRW said that that UNRWA’s work is “vital” in “averting a humanitarian catastrophe and the risk of famine” in Gaza.
The international human rights organisation said that the decision by certain governments to suspend funding to UNRWA comes months after “Israeli authorities cut off essential services, including water and electricity” to Gaza.
Israeli forces are “deliberately blocking the delivery of water, food, and fuel, willfully impeding humanitarian assistance [and] apparently razing agricultural areas”, HRW added in the statement.
Akshaya Kumar, HRW’s Crisis Advocacy Director said, “Despite mounting risks of famine and a binding order by the [International Court of Justice] in a case about genocide, Israel’s Foreign Minister has now announced that he will lead a brazen effort to shut down the UN agency most responsible for delivering lifesaving aid.”
“Unless governments reverse their decisions to suspend aid to UNRWA, the main humanitarian channel into Gaza, they risk contributing to the current catastrophe,” she added.
Australian Senator Says UNRWA Funds Should Be Restored
Senator and Deputy Leader of the Australian Greens party, Mehreen Faruqi said that the survival of millions of people in Gaza depends on the “live-saving” humanitarian aid provided by UNRWA, and it is “totally irresponsible” to cut funds to the UN agency.
“Western countries, like Australia, who have suspended this aid [to UNRWA] have made a pretty disgraceful and morally indefensible decision,” Faruqi said.
“We know that people are being starved in Gaza at the moment. We know that there is a humanitarian crisis. We know that there is a mission of genocide that Israel is committing, and at this time to suspend aid is disgraceful.”
Mehreen Faruqi
Faruqi disclosed that the people of Australia have taken to the streets over “weeks and weeks” in support of Gaza but the government is refusing to listen to their demands.
“By refusing to listen to the people of Australia, the Australian government is making decisions completely that are opposed to the sentiments, feelings and demands of the Australian people,” she said.
“People in Australia can actually see what is going on in Gaza. They can see more than 26,000 people have been massacred. They can see that more than 12,000 of those are children. This is completely unacceptable. This mission of genocide. And especially the cheerleading by Australia, by the UK, by the US of this invasion of Gaza is reprehensible.”
Mehreen Faruqi
“UNRWA’s funds should be restored immediately and increased,” Faruqi added.
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