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Israeli allegations against UNRWA

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UNRWA offices in East Jerusalem, Israeli-occupied West Bank.

In early 2024, Israel made a series of allegations against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), including that a number of its Gaza Strip staff had participated in the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, and that hundreds of them were members of militant groups.[1] The allegations led to aid cuts to the organization, most of which were later reversed with the exception of the United States, the organization's largest donor, after inquiries found the membership claims to be unsubstantiated.[2][3][4] The claims of participation in the attacks are being investigated, some already dismissed for lack of evidence.[5] UNRWA, which for decades had faced Israeli allegations surrounding its neutrality, is the largest relief organization in the Gaza Strip that is undergoing a humanitarian crisis and famine during the Israel-Hamas war.

In January 2024, Israel alleged that 12 UNRWA employees, 0.1% of its staff,[6] participated in the attacks in various capacities,[7][8][9] later expanding this claim to 19, alongside 400 personnel.[10] Israel also alleged that around ten percent of the UNRWA's 13,000 employees in the Gaza Strip have connections to Islamist militant groups, primarily Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and that 190 UNRWA employees were militants.[11] Philippe Lazzarini, the commissioner-general of UNRWA, said the organization had dismissed the employees concerned,[a] and launched an investigation.[13][14][15][16] Lazzarini clarified on 9 February that he had fired the staff without looking into any evidence, deciding that swift action was the priority in the circumstances.[17] On 19 February, Lazzarini stated Israel had not provided any evidence to support its claim.[18] In late February, a US intelligence report cast doubt on the Israeli claims.[19] An UNRWA report from February 2024 stated that Israel coerced some of its employees to falsely admit Hamas links under torture.[20][21]

Immediately following the allegations several major donor countries suspended their funding, including the United States.[22] Several international organisations, including the World Health Organization and Doctors Without Borders, said the decision to suspend funding would exacerbate the humanitarian situation in Gaza caused by the Israeli invasion.[23] In response, some other Western countries – including Spain,[24] Portugal,[25][26] Ireland,[27][28] and Poland[29] – increased their funding of UNRWA. An independent Review Group led by Catherine Colonna published a report on 22 April 2024 finding that the agency had structures in place to ensure neutrality, although issues remain,[30] that Israel had not provided evidence for its claims of significant UNRWA employee involvement in terrorist organisations and that UNRWA is indispensable to Palestinians in the region. Following publication of the report, Germany announced that it would resume funding of UNRWA, following similar decisions made earlier other major donors, including Australia, Canada, Sweden and Japan.[31][32] The EU, which had suspended funding pending the outcome of the UNRWA investigations, restored and increased its funding on 1 March 2024 while Australia, Austria, Canada, Italy, Japan, Sweden and Finland are to resume funding.[33][34] On 23 March 2024, the US cut all UNRWA funding until March 2025.[35]

Background

Further information: Israel–Hamas war, 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, and International aid to Palestinians § UNRWA

UNRWA is a UN agency responsible for supporting the relief and human development of Palestinian refugees. It was established to assist Palestinians displaced by the 1948 Arab–Israeli War[14] (estimated at 700,000 individuals) and subsequent conflicts, along with their descendants,[36][37] including legally adopted children.[38] It now aids over 5.6 million registered Palestinian refugees (as of 2019).[39] In 2023, UNRWA's largest donors were the US, the EU and Germany.[14]

With a workforce of over 30,000 employees, including approximately 13,000 in Gaza,[40] UNRWA predominantly comprises Palestinian refugees alongside a smaller contingent of international staff.[41] Operating in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, the agency's mandate has shifted from providing employment and humanitarian aid to delivering healthcare, schooling, and social services to the population it serves.[14] Prior to the Israel–Hamas war, UNRWA operated 700 schools and 140 health centers in the Gaza Strip.[14]

UNRWA is the only UN agency dedicated to aiding refugees from a specific region or conflict,[42] distinguishing it from UNHCR, a UN agency established in 1950 to assist refugees globally. Unlike UNRWA, UNHCR's mandate includes supporting refugees in achieving local integration, resettlement in third countries, or repatriation when feasible, with the aim of eliminating their refugee status.[43]

Israel has been a longtime critic of UNRWA[44][45] and considers it an obstacle to resolving the Israel-Palestine conflict, by preventing the descendants of refugees from settling in their present locations and keeping the question of return open.[46][47][48]

Israel has also expressed concern over what the agency teaches students and over the agency's relation to Hamas;[49] according to Israel, schools operated by the agency have been used by Hamas for terrorist activities.[50] Israeli officials have alleged that since the 7 October attacks, several UNRWA members have been observed celebrating the incidents on social media platforms.[50] Prior to the release of the allegations, Israeli officials had discussed ways to shut down UNRWA funding.

In 2021, UNRWA's major donors, Australia, Canada, UK and the European Union, began investigating hate and violence in UNRWA textbooks, UNRWA responded by blocking access to the textbooks in its website.[51] In a hearing later the same year, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini acknowledged that the content of the UNRWA school curriculum included antisemitism, glorification of acts of terror and incitement to violence.[52][51] A few weeks after the 7 October attacks, IMPACT-SE reported that at least a hundred Hamas members had been educated within the UNRWA system, with two confirmed to have participated in the attacks.[53]

Israel and Hamas take part in one of the world's longest-continuing conflicts.[54] After relatively calm years, death toll in the first half of 2023 climbed to the highest level since 2005.[55] On 7 October 2023, Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip that resulted in the death of 1,139 people, predominantly civilians,[56] and injuries to thousands.[citation needed] The militants attacked military bases, civilian communities, and public gatherings, killing, wounding and, allegedly, engaging in sexual and gender-based violence.[57][58] Additionally, approximately 250 Israelis, including 30 children, were taken hostage by Hamas.[59] In response, Israel launched airstrikes and a subsequent full-scale invasion on Gaza with the stated goal of destroying Hamas and securing the release of the hostages.[60] In the indiscriminate bombing of residential areas by the Israeli forces, more than 35,000 Palestinians have been killed, most of them women and children.[56]

At the end of December 2023, The Times of Israel reported the contents of "a high-level, classified Foreign Ministry report" outlining a three-step plan to force UNRWA out of post-war Gaza, with step one involving a "comprehensive report on alleged UNRWA cooperation with Hamas".[61]

On 4 January 2024, Israel Hayom reported that a group of Knesset members were seeking to halt global funding for UNRWA, based on concerns that it is a tool of Hamas. MK Sharren Haskel stated they sought "to stop funds which are being transferred from various countries to this organization, and remove UNRWA's mask".[62][63]

On 17 January 2024, UNRWA announced the creation of an independent Review Group to be led by Catherine Colonna, former French Minister of Foreign Affairs, to assess whether the Agency is doing everything within its power to ensure neutrality and to respond to allegations of serious breaches when they are made.[64][65] The report was published on 22 April 2024 and found that Israel has not provided evidence of claims that many UNRWA employees are members of terrorist organisations. While suggesting ways that neutrality safeguards for UNRWA staff could be improved, the report says that they are already more rigorous than most other comparable institutions. The report also considers that UNRWA is indispensable to Palestinians in the region.[3][4] The report did not investigate the specific allegation that 12 UNWRA employees were involved in the Hamas-led assault on Israel as that is subject of a separate internal enquiry.[5]

Allegations

Since 2011 UNWRA has regularly supplied Israel with lists of its employees in order that Israel might be able to vet its staff. Until January 2024, Israel had never expressed any concerns about UNWRA's personnel.[66]

A few days prior to 26 January Israel presented allegations to UNRWA saying that twelve employees had been involved with the 7 October attacks; reportedly some had been identified based on footage captured during the attacks, while others had admitted to working for UNRWA under interrogation after being captured. According to Israel, while they had held information on this for some time it was only in the two weeks prior to the allegations emerging that they had connected this information with a second cache of intelligence which "solidified an assessment that the UNRWA employees had been involved in the attack"; this intelligence included footage taken by Hamas militants during the attacks.[67][1]

According to Israel, there is a structural relation between UNRWA and Hamas, these twelve employees are just the "tip of the iceberg".[68] Israel also alleges that UNRWA facilities and vehicles were used in the 7 October attacks. Israel said it has compiled a case "incriminating several UNRWA employees for their alleged involvement in the massacre, along with evidence pointing to the use of UNRWA facilities for terrorist purposes".[69][70]

On 28 January, Israel Hayom reported that Israel had been in possession of the information for an extended time, but had declined to release it publicly as they considered UNRWA to be the only functional entity in Gaza, and that "without it the chaos would be even greater". According to Israel Hayom's sources, Israel is uncertain why UNRWA and the United States decided to act on the information now; they speculated that the US action might be because of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs hearing on 30 January "where even more embarrassing information about UNRWA will likely be exposed".[71]

It was further reported by Reuters that the Israeli intelligence dossier accuses 190 UNRWA employees of being "hardcore" Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants, while overall 10% of UNRWA staff was considered to have some affiliation with those organizations.[11]

Israeli dossier

From 29 January 2024, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Sky News, and the Financial Times reported on an Israeli intelligence dossier that Israel had presented to the US, and part of which had been shared with them and other media. The dossier alleged that at least 12 UNRWA employees had been involved in the 7 October attacks and that about 1,200 UNRWA employees, 10% of UNRWA's 12,000 employees in Gaza, had links with Palestinian militant groups. Israel detailed individual accusations against UNRWA staff[8] which were reported slightly differently in the various press articles.

Summary of allegations

The Wall Street Journal reported the accusations against individual staff as follows:[8]

  • That an UNRWA Arabic teacher and Hamas commander had allegedly taken part in the Be'eri massacre
  • That an UNRWA social worker had allegedly been involved in taking the body of an Israeli soldier to Gaza and coordinated Hamas distribution of trucks and munitions.
  • That an UNRWA teacher was affiliated with Hamas, had photographed a female hostage in Gaza, and worked with another teacher who carried an anti-tank missile in the pre-attack preparations
  • That an UNRWA employee had allegedly established an operations room for Palestinian Islamic Jihad following the attack
  • That Hamas had allegedly instructed three other employees, including an Arabic teacher, to arm themselves near the border
  • That another elementary school teacher had allegedly crossed into Israel and was present in Re'im, an area where militants stormed a kibbutz, a military base, and a music festival

The New York Times reported the allegations against individuals somewhat differently:[72][9]

  • That seven of the accused were teachers at UNRWA schools
  • That two worked at schools in other capacities
  • That a clerk, a social worker, and a storeroom manager also participated in the 7 October attacks
  • That ten UNRWA staff were members of Hamas, and an eleventh was a member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad
  • That a school counselor from Khan Younis abducted a woman from Israel in collaboration with his son
  • That a social worker from Nuseirat distributed ammunition and coordinated vehicles during the attack, as well assisted in bringing the dead body of an Israeli soldier to Gaza
  • That an employee participated in a massacre that left 97 dead, possibly in reference to the Be'eri massacre

Intelligence gathering methods

The dossier said that Israel had gathered the intelligence information via signal intelligence, cellphone tracking data, interrogations of captured Hamas militants, and documents recovered from dead militants.[8] The New York Times reported more specifics: that the dossier said that Israeli intelligence had traced the movement of six of the employees inside Israel through their cell phones. Others, according to Israel, had phone calls intercepted in which they discussed their participation in the attacks, while three others received text messages ordering them to report to muster points, including one who was ordered to bring rocket propelled grenades that they had stored in their home.[9]

US intelligence assessment

In a 21 February 2024 article titled "U.S. Finds Some Israeli Claims on U.N. Staff Likely, Others Not", The Wall Street Journal reported on a US intelligence assessment which said it could not verify Israel's claims that 10% of UNRWA staff have some kind of "link" to militants but did it not dispute the accusations per se. It had "low confidence" in, but found "credible", claims about individual staff at UNRWA.[73] In mid-April 2024 US Senator Chris Van Hollen told Nicholas Kristof that US intelligence had nothing to support Israel's claim that UNWRA is a branch of Hamas, a claim he dismissed as an outright lie.[74]

Criticism of The Wall Street Journal article

On 28 January 2024, in an article titled "Details Emerge on U.N. Workers Accused of Aiding Hamas Raid", The New York Times reported on allegations made in an Israeli intelligence dossier about some UNRWA employees.[75] On 29 January, in an article titled, "At Least 12 U.N. Agency Employees Involved in Oct. 7 Attacks, Intelligence Reports Say", The Wall Street Journal also reported on allegations made in the Israeli intelligence dossier about some UNRWA employees.[76] On 30 January, Sky News also reviewed the Israeli intelligence report and reported on the allegations.[7]

On 3 February 2024, on the Al-Jazeera English current affairs programme The Listening Post, Palestinian rights lawyer Diana Buttu opined that the "problem with these types of allegations is that they adopt the Israeli narrative without questioning or second-guessing it".[77] Jeremy Scahill criticized The Wall Street Journal for publishing what he described as "unsubstantiated allegations".[78]

UK media disputing Israeli intelligence

On 30 January 2024, Sky News published a report on the Israeli dossier that had alleged staff involvement with Hamas. According to Sky, the report alleged that six UNRWA employees had been involved with the 7 October attacks, but that "the Israeli intelligence documents make several claims that Sky News has not seen proof of and many of the claims, even if true, do not directly implicate UNRWA."[79]

A page from the document obtained by the UK's Channel 4 News in Feb. 2024 that Israel provided to other governments, claiming that UNRWA employees were Hamas/PIJ operatives, but which did not detail any supporting evidence, if it exists.

On 5 February 2024, Channel 4 said that the six-page dossier contains no evidence to support Israel's claim other than a statement that "From intelligence information, documents and identity cards seized during the course of the fighting, it is now possible to flag around 190 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist operatives who serve as UNRWA employees. More than 10 UNRWA staffers took part in the events of October 7."[80]

On 3 February, the Financial Times stated that Israel's intelligence assessment was based on smartphone intercepts and captured identity cards, and concluded that it "provides no evidence for the claims".[81]

Footage

Israel released footage from 7 October showing a man identified as Faisal Ali Musalam Naami, an UNRWA worker, entering Kibbutz Beeri in a SUV shortly after 9:30 a.m. Naami alongside another person in the SUV is shown to lift and put the body of an Israeli into the trunk of his SUV before looting the belongings of dead Israelis.[82][83] The Washington Post investigated the claims and confirmed that facial recognition is a match and requested two vehicle forensic experts to analyze Naami's social media photos and managed to capture partial views of a white vehicle which they identified as a 1993-1995 Nissan Terrano II identical to the vehicle used on 7 October in color, make and model and was from the same generation. On 16 October Naami, five of his children and one of his two wives were killed in an airstrike in Nuseirat. The Washington Post's attempts to reach out to Naami's relatives were unsuccessful. An UNRWA coworker, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, claimed that he did not know if Naami was a member of Hamas or of his participation in the 7 October attacks.[84]

July 2024 list

A list of 108 UNRWA employees who were members of Hamas and PIJ according to Israel was sent by the Israeli Foreign Ministry to UNRWA.[85]

Response from UNRWA and the United Nations

On 26 January 2024, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini stated, "The Israeli authorities have provided UNRWA with information about the alleged involvement of several UNRWA employees in the horrific attacks on Israel on October 7."[86] He further emphasized, "To protect the agency's ability to deliver humanitarian assistance, I have taken the decision to immediately terminate the contracts of these staff members and launch an investigation in order to establish the truth without delay", adding that "any UNRWA employee who was involved in acts of terror" would be held accountable.[86]

Lazzarini refrained from disclosing the number of employees allegedly involved in the attacks or the nature of their alleged involvement.[86] The US State Department reported the figure to be 12.[87] António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, said on 28 January that accusations had been made against 12 specific employees, and that of those 12 nine had been fired, one was dead, and the identities of the other two were still being confirmed.[88][89] On 26 April 2024, the UN disclosed that there were 19 allegations against agency staffers, one of which was closed for no evidence and 4 others for a lack of evidence. No end date for the investigation of the remaining 14 staffers has been given while investigators would visit Israel again in May. Of 12 initial cases, eight remain under investigation, three cases have been suspended and one staffer has been cleared. Of the seven additional cases, six remain under investigation and one has been suspended pending additional information.[90][91]

Guterres also said he was "horrified by this news",[56] and called the alleged activities "criminal".[92] His spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric further stated that the UN chief had directed Lazzarini to lead an investigation to ensure swift termination and potential criminal prosecution of any UNRWA employee implicated in or aiding 7 October attacks.[93] On 27 January, the deputy UN spokesperson stated, "UNRWA overall had had a strong record, which we have repeatedly underscored."[94]

In a further statement issued on 27 January, Lazzarini described the decision by nine countries to suspend the agency's funding as "shocking" and stated that both people's lives in Gaza and regional stability depended on that support;[95][96] he urged the nations to resume funding before UNRWA is "forced to suspend its humanitarian response".[97] According to a 28 January statement by Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, the decision to suspend funding could be a violation of the Genocide Convention, and "overtly defies" the provisional rulings in South Africa v. Israel.[98]

Chris Gunness, a former UNRWA chief spokesman, called on the Arab world, and in particular the oil-rich Gulf states, to fill the funding gap, saying that they are "making billions each day on oil revenues", and that a "tiny fraction" of that would resolve the funding shortfall.[99][b] A UNRWA spokesperson said that the funding suspensions would result in it being unable to continue aiding Gazans by the end of February.[101] On 29 February, the United Nations announced it still had not received any evidence from Israel to support its claims.[102]

Allegations of confessions obtained under torture

See also: Israeli torture in the occupied territories
This section is an excerpt from Torture during the Israel–Hamas war § Torture of United Nations staff.[edit]

According to February 2024 UNRWA report, Israeli officials detained and tortured UN staff, coercing them into falsely stating that agency staff had participated in the 7 October attack.[103][104] The allegations of torture came from staff who stated they were forced to make confessions under torture and ill-treatment, including "beatings, sleep deprivation, sexual abuse and threats of sexual violence against both men and women" in Israeli detention.[105] Detainees reported being stripped down to their underwear and forced completely naked.[106] The report found that UN staff were "pressured to make false statements against the Agency, including that the Agency has affiliations with Hamas and that UNRWA staff members took part in the 7 October 2023 atrocities" through beatings, waterboarding, and threats to their families.[107]

In a statement, the UNRWA communications director stated, "When the war comes to an end there needs to be a series of inquiries to look into all violations of human rights".[108] The Israel Defense Forces stated it was investigating "complaints of inappropriate behavior".[109]

In response to the report, the World Organisation Against Torture condemned Israel, stating, "Both torture and the use of any such information violates the UN Convention Against Torture".[110]

UNRWA further alleged widespread physical and psychological abuse perpetrated by Israelis against detained Palestinians.[21] On 5 March, Philippe Lazzarini stated, "The campaign against UNRWA is intended to shift the longstanding political parameters for peace in the occupied Palestinian territory set by the General Assembly and the Security Council, without consulting either body."[111]

Reactions

UNRWA funding status (June 2024)
  Donors that have suspended funding
  Donors that that have restored funding
  Donors that did not suspend funding

Table of funder reactions

2022 pledges[112] 2024 status
Country Amount (USD) % Funding freeze announcement Date of announced resumption, or funding increase
 United States 343,937,718 29% 26 Jan 2024 Funding freeze made permanent until March 2025.[113]
 Germany 202,054,285 17% 27 Jan 2024 Providing €45 million in new contributions for Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the West Bank. Following publication of the Colonna review, announced on 24 April 2024 that it would resume funding.[32][114]
 EU 114,199,150 10% No freeze[115] 1 March 2024
 Sweden 60,969,987 5% 30 Jan 2024 9 March 2024
 Norway 34,180,677 3% No freeze
 Japan 30,152,202 3% 28 Jan 2024[116] 29 March 2024[117]
 France 28,909,838 2% No freeze[115]
 Saudi Arabia 27,000,000 2% No freeze
  Switzerland 25,534,028 2% No freeze[115]
 Turkey 25,199,080 2% No freeze
 Canada 23,713,560 2% 27 Jan 2024 8 March 2024
 Netherlands 21,189,038 2% 27 Jan 2024
 UK 21,158,281 2% 27 Jan 2024
 Italy 18,033,970 2% 27 Jan 2024 25 May, announced €5mm for UNRWA and €30mm for Gaza Food aid.[118]
 Denmark 15,885,563 1% No freeze[115]
 Australia 13,797,995 1% 27 Jan 2024 15 March 2024
 Spain 13,592,803 1% No freeze (increased) 5 Feb 2024
 Belgium 12,558,653 1% No freeze
 Kuwait 12,000,000 1% No freeze
 Qatar 10,500,000 1% No freeze
 Ireland 8,509,726 1% No freeze (increased) 15 Feb 2024
 Austria 8,091,406 1% 29 Jan 2024 18 May 2024.[119]
 Finland 7,807,565 1% 27 Jan 2024 22 Mar 2024[120]
 Luxembourg 7,488,329 1% No freeze
 Palestine 5,760,830 0% No freeze
Other countries 82,422,588 7%
All 1,174,647,272 100%
Sum of frozen 805,349,873 65% 45%
Sum of unfrozen 286,874,811 28% 48%

International community

Matthew Miller, spokesperson of the US State Department, said that "The United States is extremely troubled by the allegations that twelve UNRWA employees may have been involved in the 7 October Hamas terrorist attack on Israel." He further stated that the Department of State has temporarily halted additional funding for UNRWA as it conducts a review of the allegations and evaluates the actions being taken by the United Nations to address them.[121] US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the evidence implicating some UNRWA staff members in the 7 October attack against Israel is "highly credible". He emphasized the organization's "indispensable" role as a major humanitarian service provider in the region, adding that it is "imperative that UNRWA immediately, as it said it would, investigate; that it hold people accountable as necessary; and that it review its procedures".[122] The United States later clarified that nearly all of the money that had been budgeted to UNRWA had already been sent, with the suspension affecting $300,000 of the 121 million US dollars that the US had budgeted for the UNRWA. The State Department also said they hoped the issue would be resolved quickly.[123]

Following a UN Security Council meeting on 30 January, US ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said: "There has to be accountability for anyone who participated in this attack on 7 October." US officials say that funding will depend on a credible investigation and acknowledge that there is no real alternative to UNRWA. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said: "Let's not impugn the good work of a whole agency because of the potential bad action here of a small number".[124][125][126][127][128] In February 2024, US president Joe Biden urged Congress to pass a bill which would ban the United States from funding UNRWA.[129] In March 2024, US Senator Chris Van Hollen stated Israel's claims about a connection between UNRWA and Hamas were "flat-out lies" and that "Netanyahu’s wanted to get rid of UNRWA because he has seen them as a means to continue the hopes of the Palestinian people for a homeland of their own".[130][131]

Canada's Minister of International Development, Ahmed Hussen, announced that the Canadian government has temporarily halted additional funding to UNRWA pending investigation of the allegations. Hussen said he expressed Canada's deep concern directly to UNRWA Commissioner-General Lazzarini, adding that "Canada is taking these reports extremely seriously and is engaging closely with UNRWA and other donors on this issue". On 8 February, the Canadian government stated it had still not seen any evidence to support Israel's claims.[132] On 5 March, the Canadian government announced it would resume funding to UNRWA.[133]

Australia has declared a temporary suspension of its funding to UNRWA. Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong stated that Australia will align itself with similar actions taken by the US and Canada in halting funding. She expressed Australia's deep concern regarding the allegations.[134] Italy and Germany have also suspended funding to UNRWA.[22][135] The UK Foreign Office released a statement, saying that the UK was "appalled" by the allegations.[40]

Finland's Minister for Foreign Trade and Development, Ville Tavio, has opted to suspend Finland's payments to UNRWA in light of the allegations. He stated: "We must make sure that not a single euro of Finland's money goes to Hamas or other terrorists. The suspicion that employees of an organisation receiving humanitarian assistance are involved in a terrorist attack is the reason for suspending the payments. The case must be investigated thoroughly."[136]

The Netherlands announced it will stop financing UNRWA, saying "We are extremely shocked. The accusation is that the attack was committed on October 7 with UN money, with our money."[137] On 28 January 2024, France's Foreign Ministry declared that it will "decide when the time comes" regarding its funding, describing the allegations as "exceptionally serious".[138][115]

On 29 January 2024, Austria announced it will also stop financing UNRWA, with the Austrian Foreign Ministry calling the UN agency "to conduct a comprehensive, swift and complete investigation into the allegations".[139]

On 29 January, New Zealand's foreign ministry announced it would review its annual NZ$1 million funding to UNRWA in response to the allegations.[140] On 30 January, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced that New Zealand would be suspending funding to UNRWA pending the investigation into the allegations.[141] On 7 June, Foreign Minister Winston Peters announced that New Zealand would resume its annual NZ$1 million funding to UNRWA that month.[142]

On 29 January, Latvia's Foreign Ministry announced via X (formerly Twitter) that the country has also suspended its funding to UNRWA.[143]

The European Union announced that it was reviewing funding, and did not expect to provide additional funding before the end of February at the earliest.[144] Josep Borrell, the European Union's High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said the European Commission would "assess further steps and draw lessons based on the result of the full and comprehensive investigation", urging UNRWA to "provide full transparency on the allegations and to take immediate measures against staff involved".[145][22] On 1 March, the UN announced it was 50 million euros to UNRWA within the following week.[146]

Norway and Ireland announced that they would not suspend funding for UNRWA.[147] Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said that "UNRWA is a lifeline for millions of people in deep distress in Gaza as well as in the wider region."[148] Swiss officials said no decision would be taken until the "serious accusations" were clarified.[149] The Icelandic Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated it supported UNRWA's swift investigation and that its "crucial work under the current dire circumstances must continue".[150] Lithuania's Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said that Lithuania has not yet reached the financial period for making funding decisions and is awaiting the investigation's results before taking any action.[151]

On 30 January, Sweden also announced it would suspend funding for UNRWA. According to TT, Johan Forssell, Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, said that "The money… will go instead to other humanitarian organizations".[152]

On 23 March 2024, as part of a package to fund the US government, the US cut all UNRWA funding until March 2025.[35][153]

Criticism of cutting aid

Donor states have suspended funding at a time when the people of Gaza depend on critical aid from UNRWA for daily survival.[154][155][156][157]

UN

Michael Fakhri, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, said on X that a day after the International Court of Justice, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, "concluded that Israel is plausibly committing genocide in Gaza, some states decided to defund UNRWA for the alleged actions of a small number of employees. This collectively punishes +2.2 million Palestinians."[154]

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini stated: "Our humanitarian operation, on which 2 million people depend as a lifeline in Gaza, is collapsing. I am shocked such decisions are taken based on alleged behaviour of a few individuals and as the war continues, needs are deepening and famine looms. Palestinians in Gaza did not need this additional collective punishment."[158] In a letter signed with humanitarian organisation leaders, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths stated that defunding UNRWA would lead to the collapse of Gaza's aid system, adding: "The world cannot abandon the people of Gaza".[159] Former New Zealand PM and United Nations Development Programme administrator Helen Clark stated "this isn’t the time to suspend funding".[160]

An unpublished February 2024 UNRWA report detailing allegations of mistreatment in Israeli detention reviewed by Reuters said some employees released from detention alleged that they were pressured into giving false statements that UNRWA has Hamas links and that staff were involved in the Hamas attack on Israel.[161]

Humanitarian organizations

Agnès Callamard, the secretary general of Amnesty International, stated that the world's richest countries had made a "heartless decision ... to punish the most vulnerable population on earth because of the alleged crimes of 12 people".[162][23] Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organization, appealed to donors not to suspend funding to UNRWA and wrote that "cutting off funding will only hurt the people of Gaza who desperately need support".[163] Tedros warned suspending funding would have "catastrophic consequences".[164] Jan Egeland, the Norwegian Refugee Council head, called on donors to "not starve children for the sins of a few individual aid workers".[148] In a statement, Doctors Without Borders said, "In the Gaza Strip, the humanitarian crisis has reached catastrophic levels, and any additional limitations on aid will result in more deaths and suffering."[165]

European Union

On 29 January 2024, Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, told UN Secretary-General António Guterres that funding has not been suspended and the EU will determine funding decisions after the investigation.[166] Borrell stated, "We shouldn’t let allegations cloud UNRWA’s indispensable and great work."[167]

On 1 March 2024, the EU decided not to await the outcome of the UNRWA investigation, and instead put in place a €275 million funding package, being restoration of 2024 funding of €82 million, plus €125 million of humanitarian aid for Palestinians for 2024, which UNRWA is not excluded from implementing and another €68 million through international partners like the Red Cross and the Red Crescent. At the same time, the EU agreed with UNRWA reached an agreement with UNRWA on an audit to be made by EU appointed external experts.[168]

Spanish Foreign minister José Manuel Albares stated on 29 January 2024 that Spain "will not change our relationship with UNRWA, although we are closely following the internal investigation and the outcome it may yield for the actions of a dozen people out of about 30,000"[169] because the UNRWA is an agency "essential to alleviate the humanitarian situation".[170] The same day, Spanish Social Affairs minister Pablo Bustinduy called out the suspension of UNRWA funds by other western countries "an unjustifiable collective punishment of the Palestinian people".[171] In April 2024, Janez Lenarčič, the European Commissioner for Crisis Management, stated, "I call on the donors to support UNRWA – the Palestinian refugees’ lifeline".[172] Micheál Martin, the Irish foreign minister, stated, "If you undermine UNRWA and remove UNRWA you essentially remove the right to return".[173]

Middle East and West Asia

The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement that "Suspending aid to UNRWA due to some allegations against a small number of its members will primarily harm the Palestinian people."[174]

Jordanian foreign minister Ayman Safadi stated that the people of Gaza "shouldn't be collectively punished upon allegations against 12 persons out of its 13,000 staff. UNRWA acted responsibly and began an investigation. We urge countries that suspended funds to reverse [this] decision."[175]

The Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it was deeply concerned by the cuts, since the people of Gaza "depend on critical aid from UNRWA for their daily survival".[176]

Qatari prime minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani stated that the entire organization and its tens of thousands of employees should not be punished due to the acts of a small group.[177]

Elsewhere

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin stated: "We call on the international community, especially major donors, to prioritize the lives of the people in Gaza, reconsider the decision to suspend funding, and continue to support the work of UNRWA."[178]

Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs asserted its confidence in the investigations by the United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services, and rejects the idea that national should freeze funding to UNRWA due to Israeli allegations, especially at a time of severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza. It noted that funding halts also undermine the fulfillment of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to ensure humanitarian access to the people of Gaza. It noted the deaths of 152 UNRWA staff in Gaza thus far, and renewed its call for a cease-fire, the release of the remaining hostages, an economically viable Palestinian State to include the Gaza Strip and all of the West Bank including East Jerusalem as its capital.[179] A few weeks later, after Brazil's president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, whom Ha'aretz called "anything but an antisemite", called Israeli actions in Gaza a genocide, Israel declared him persona non grata and both countries withdrew their ambassadors.[180]

Israel

On 4 January 2024, Israel Hayom reported Knesset members were seeking to halt global funding for UNRWA, with MK Sharren Haskel stating they sought "to stop funds which are being transferred from various countries to this organization, and remove UNRWA’s mask".[181] On 6 January, Noga Arbell, a political strategy researcher and former evaluator at the Center for Political Research of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated her opinion that, "It will not be possible to win the war if we do not destroy UNRWA. And this destruction must begin immediately".[182]

Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz stated that "UNRWA will not be a part of the day after", referring to the future of Gaza following the Israel–Hamas war. He added that: "We have been warning for years: UNRWA perpetuates the refugee issue, obstructs peace, and serves as a civilian arm of Hamas in Gaza. UNRWA is not the solution – many of its employees are Hamas affiliates with murderous ideologies, aiding in terror activities and preserving its authority."[183]

Israel's Ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, called on all donor states to suspend their support to UNRWA.[148]

On 31 January 2024, during a meeting with UN ambassadors in Jerusalem, Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu stated, "UNRWA is totally infiltrated with Hamas", and called for the replacement of UNRWA with other UN agencies and aid organizations.[184] On 4 February 2024, at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu stated: "We exposed to the world that UNRWA is collaborating with Hamas, that some of its people even participated in the atrocities and abductions of October 7. This only strengthens what we have known for a long time — UNRWA is not part of the solution, it is part of the problem. The time has come to begin the process of replacing UNRWA with other bodies that are not tainted by support for terrorism".[185]

The New York Times reported 3 February that Israel did not expect the scandal to result in an international governmental reaction as Israel has long accused the UNRWA of bias and despite opposition to UNRWA some Israeli military officials did not want the UNRWA to be shuttered during a potential humanitarian crisis.[186] On 23 February 2024, a group of Israel humanitarian organizations — including Doctors for Human Rights, B'Tselem, Breaking the Silence, Gisha, City of Nations, Checkpoint Watch, and Fighters for Peace — called on donors to restore UNRWA funding.[187]

Following the resumption of funding by most UNRWA donors, Israeli officials expressed concern that the UK and the US might also restore funding, and acknowledged that the Israeli campaign against international funding for UNRWA has failed.[188]

Palestinian response

Palestinian Authority

The Palestine Liberation Organization's Secretary-General Hussein al-Sheikh urged countries planning to withdraw funding from UNRWA to reconsider their decision due to significant political and humanitarian concerns.[189]

Hamas

Hamas's press office stated via Telegram that the group implored the UN and international organizations "to not cave in to the threats and blackmail" from Israel,[56] and accused what they called "the Zionist entity" of a "campaign of incitement" against UN agencies delivering aid to Gaza.[147][190]

Media analysis

In an article published on 30 January, The Economist concluded: "It is hardly surprising that some members of an organisation that has been embedded in Gaza so deeply and for so long have links to Hamas. But that defence of UNRWA in turn raises difficult questions about whether it is sufficiently neutral, transparent and accountable. UNRWA is probably essential in the short term in order to avoid an even deeper humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Whether it should be an essential part of Gaza's long term future is far less clear".[191]

The Intercept suggested that the timing of the resulting controversy was intended to distract media attention from the International Court of Justice ruling of provisional measures against Israel, issued on the same day.[192]

An analysis in Haaretz stated that UNRWA is "riddled with Hamas", but called the freezing of funds an empty gesture, as foreign governments already knew of the situation. They suggest that just as Israel continues to work with UNRWA, foreign governments will restore funding out of necessity.[193]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ On 9 February 2024, Lazzarrini stated the employees had been fired without any evidence, stating, "Indeed, I have terminated without due process".[12]
  2. ^ Gunness additionally called the situation a "coordinated political attack" on UNRWA by Israel, stating, "The Israelis have said they cannot win the war on Gaza unless UNRWA is disbanded. So what clearer signal do you want?"[100]

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