UNRWA says humanitarian aid to Gaza has halved, appeals for more donations

NEW YORK: The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said humanitarian aid entering Gaza has reduced by half this month.

Around US$450 million in funding has been suspended by key donors, including the United States, Britain, Germany and Australia.

The freeze in donations came following allegations that several of the agency’s staff members were involved in the Oct 7 attack that triggered the current conflict. 

This has put the embattled enclave’s largest humanitarian organisation on the brink of collapse, the head of the agency warned.

The UN has criticised the suspension in funding as “unjust and irresponsible”, urging donor countries to reverse their decision as Gaza faces the risk of mass starvation amid a mounting humanitarian crisis.

The organisation warned that it could be forced to cease operations in the region if it does not receive funding soon.

“At this point, the outlook for UNRWA and the millions of people it serves, not only in Gaza but also in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria is very bleak,” said Mr Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN Secretary General. 

UN WORKERS LINKED TO HAMAS ATTACK

Last month, Israel alleged that at least 12 UNRWA staff, including teachers and a social worker, were involved in last year’s Oct 7 attacks by Palestinian militant group Hamas that left 1,200 Israelis dead and 253 taken hostage.

Israel has since retaliated with an offensive on the Gaza Strip, killing about 30,000 people, according to Palestinian health authorities.

UNRWA said about 2 million people in Gaza are dependent on the agency's humanitarian operations, which include aid, distribution, and the running of schools, healthcare facilities and other services.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he was horrified by the allegations made against the agency’s staff, stressing that any employee involved in acts of terror will be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution.

Earlier this month, the organisation said it had identified and terminated the contracts of 10 of the 12 employees implicated, while the other two are dead. 

However, it could take time for the UN agency to regain the trust of the donors it relies on to survive.

The US – the biggest donor to UNRWA in the past two years – has said it needs to see "fundamental changes" before its funding to the agency can resume.

INVESTIGATIONS INTO ALLEGATIONS

Two investigations are underway – one by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services, and the other an independent review.

“We will investigate how UNRWA works with neutrality, as it must,” said Ms Catherine Colonna, head of the independent review group on the agency.

“We will specifically clarify the mechanisms, the processes in place, the structures, and see if they ensure neutrality as they should.”

UNRWA also operates in the West Bank, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. Humanitarian groups there said budgets have become even more stretched this month.

“Even before the crisis, we already struggled with (insufficient) funding and the needs were high. Now, the needs are much higher,” said Ms Marika Guderian, the UN World Food Programme’s deputy country director.

“With the war in Gaza, shops are impacted. People are impacted because of the food prices, and they don't have jobs anymore. It's urgently required that we get more funds to help those in need or really suffering in the West Bank because of the impact of the Gaza war.”

STRAINED TIES BETWEEN ISRAEL AND UNRWA

Israel and UNRWA have never seen eye to eye. Israel believes that at least 10 per cent of the agency’s staff in Gaza are affiliated with armed groups.  

Israel has long accused UNRWA of handing out anti-semitic educational material and promoting terrorism. The agency has vehemently denied the accusations.

Mr Daniel Forti, senior analyst of UN advocacy and research at think tank International Crisis Group, said it is tough to separate UNRWA’s political significance from its humanitarian role.

“One of the reasons the agency has been around since 1949 is that it’s premised on the idea of Palestinian refugees in Gaza and elsewhere having the right to return to their homeland, upon a final settlement of the dispute between Palestine and Israel,” he said.

“As a result, Palestinians view the agency’s survival to their political claims. Similarly, Israel – for those very same reasons – sees UNRWA as a threat to their own legitimacy and statehood.”

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for UNRWA to be closed and replaced with other aid organisations. However, the UN said there is no other aid organisation which can substitute UNRWA in the near future.

As the stand-off between the agency and its funders continues, humanitarian groups say time is running out to get aid to those who need it the most.