UN Chief defends UNRWA amid funding suspensions

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres praises the UNRWA as the “backbone” of humanitarian aid for Gaza, following the suspension of funding by several countries

In a meeting on Wednesday, the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) as the ‘backbone’ of humanitarian aid for Gaza. This statement is in reaction to the latest suspension of funding by several countries including the US, UK, Germany, and Japan, after accusations that 12 UNRWA staffers were part of the Oct.   7 Hamas attacks.

 Guterres appealed to donors’ concerns and outlined a plan of action to address the situation, highlighting the dangerous dynamics of the cut of UNRWA funding. He said that ‘UNRWA is the spine of every humanitarian response in Gaza’.

A joint statement by the leaders of UN agencies on Tuesday indicated that failure to provide funding for UNRWA could result in the decline of the humanitarian system in Gaza. The situation was aggravated after Israel claimed that it was UNRWA that allowed Hamas to use its infrastructure in Gaza for military purposes. UNRWA expeditiously replied to the effect that it had already acted upon the allegations.

Persistently, Israel has been looking at the UNRWA with suspicion, suggesting the UNRWA is working against Israel’s interests. On Tuesday, government spokesman Eylon Levy again insisted that UNRWA had been “fundamentally undermined,” claiming that the organization had been known to support and allow Hamas to use the UNRWA facilities as military bases.

Martin Griffiths, the UN’s humanitarian chief, insisted that UNRWA was the ‘pulsating life force’ of Gaza humanitarian aid. He pointed out the cooperation of the entire humanitarian community involving UN agencies, NGOs, the Red Cross, and the Red Crescent to bring in food and medical aid to Gaza. Griffiths recommended the cancellation of the unjust decisions regarding the withholding of funds from UNRWA for the sake of humanitarian response in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Source: AFP