The UN agency for “Palestinian refugees” on Thursday announced the appointment of an acting deputy chief, after a report on alleged ethical abuses by top management prompted donors to freeze funds.
"Christian Saunders has been appointed as acting Deputy Commissioner-General (DCG), pending the recruitment of a full replacement to the outgoing DCG Sandra Mitchell," the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said in a statement quoted by AFP.
The internal ethics probe accused Mitchell of manipulating the system to find a well-paid job for her husband at the agency last year as it suffered through a funding crisis.
Her management style is alleged to have included bullying, cutting those she disliked out of decision-making and avoiding checks and balances, it says. She quit last week citing "personal reasons".
Thursday's UNRWA statement made no mention of the internal report, seen by AFP, which describes "credible and corroborated" allegations of serious ethical abuses, including some involving UNRWA's top official, Commissioner-General Pierre Krahenbuhl.
In the wake of the report, Switzerland on Tuesday said it was suspending funding to UNRWA. The Netherlands followed Switzerland on Wednesday and suspended its contribution to the organization.
Jason Greenblatt, the US Special Representative for International Negotiations, earlier this week called for a full and transparent investigation by the UN into the findings.
Created in 1949, UNRWA supplies aid to more than three million of the five million registered Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and territories assigned to the Palestinian Authority.
However, it is also notorious for its anti-Israel activities. During the 2014 counterterrorism Operation Protective Edge, Hamas rockets were discovered inside a school building run by UNRWA.
Likewise, a booby-trapped UNRWA clinic was detonated, killing three IDF soldiers. Aside from the massive amounts of explosives hidden in the walls of the clinic, it was revealed that it stood on top of dozens of terror tunnels, showing how UNRWA is closely embedded with Hamas.
In a more recent incident, the director of UNRWA operations in Gaza expressed his support for the anti-Israel marches along the Israel-Gaza border and pledged that the organization’s medical centers will provide care for “Palestinian refugees” who might sustain injuries during them.
The US, which was previously UNRWA's largest contributor, last year cut a full $300 million in funding to the agency. Following the US cut, several European Union (EU) and Arab countries promised to contribute approximately $50 million each, while the EU itself promised to give $23 million.