UN Asks to Renew Funds to Agency For Palestine Refugees

The Secretary General of the United Nations (UN), António Guterres, called for the renewal of funds for the Palestinian refugee agency for the Middle East (Unrwa), in the midst of a smear campaign against the entity driven by Israel.

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He also urged the US, UK and several other countries not to suspend funding for the agency, saying that the desperate needs of the populations it serves must be met.

"Any UN employee involved in terrorist acts will be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution," the UN chief said in a statement. " The secretariat is willing to cooperate with a competent authority," he said.

Also the general secretiary added that he understands the concerns of these countries "I myself was horrified by these accusations", and point out that he makes a strong appeal to the governments that have suspended their contributions to, at least, guarantee the continuity of the operations of the UNRWA

 

Guterres pointed out that as more countries withdraw their funds for the agency, two million civilians in Gaza depend on Unrwa’s critical aid for their daily survival, but the current funding of the agency will not allow it to meet all the requirements to support them in February.

"The abominable alleged acts of these personnel must have consequences. But the tens of thousands of men and women working for UNRWA, many of them in some of the most dangerous situations for humanitarian workers, should not be penalized," he said.

By the other hand Philippe Lazzarini through his X (Twitter) account said to be "shocked such decisions are taken based on alleged behavior of a few individuals and as the war continues, needs are deepening & famine looms."

Israel launched a campaign against the UN entity after accusing UN officials of participating in the October 7 attack by the Palestinian resistance in Gaza, but Hamas rejected the involvement of UNRWA personnel.

United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland and Finland on Saturday joined the United States, Australia and Canada in pausing funding to the aid agency, a critical source of support for people in Gaza, after the Israeli attacks.