UNRWA, the UN’s “Palestinian refugee” agency, warned on Thursday that it will most likely be forced to shut down its operations in the Middle East, including in Gaza, by the end of the month if funding does not resume.
The US announced last week it has temporarily paused funding to UNRWA following allegations that 12 of its employees may have been involved in Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel. It was followed by more than a dozen other countries, including Germany, Britain and New Zealand.
"The agency remains the largest aid organization in one of the most severe and complex humanitarian crises in the world," UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement quoted by Reuters.
"If the funding remains suspended, we will most likely be forced to shut down our operations by end of February not only in Gaza but also across the region," he added.
The New York Times on Sunday published details on the accusations that Israel has levelled at workers of UNRWA.
According to the report, one of the UNRWA workers is accused of kidnapping a woman, another is said to have handed out ammunition and a third was described as taking part in the massacre at Kibbutz Be’eri, where 97 people were murdered.
The accusations are contained in a dossier provided to the United States government that details Israel’s claims against a dozen employees of UNRWA.
Lazzarini’s warning came a day after an array of UN organizations warned of "catastrophic consequences for the people of Gaza " if key donor countries do not resume funding for UNRWA.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed to 35 donor nations in a closed-door meeting on Tuesday and sought new support as well.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US ambassador to the United Nations, said on Tuesday that UNRWA plays "a critical role in providing life-saving assistance to Palestinians," but also stressed that "we need to see fundamental changes before we can resume providing funding directly" to the organization.