UK, Italy join US, Canada in pausing funding to UN refugee agency in Gaza
Britain, Italy and Finland on Saturday became the latest countries to pause funding for the United Nations' refugee agency for Palestinians (UNRWA), following allegations its staff were involved in the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, reports Reuters.
Set up to help refugees of the 1948 war at Israel's founding, UNRWA provides education, health and aid services to Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon. It helps about two thirds of Gaza's 2.3 million population and has played a pivotal aid role during the current war.
The United States, Australia and Canada had already paused funding to the aid agency after Israel said 12 UNRWA employees were involved in the cross-border attack. The agency has opened an investigation into several employees severed ties with them.
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The UK Foreign Office said it was temporarily pausing funding for UNRWA while the accusations were reviewed and noted London had condemned the Oct. 7 attacks as "heinous" terrorism.
"The Italian government has suspended financing of the UNRWA after the atrocious attack on Israel on October 7," Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on social media platform X.
Finland also said it suspended funding.
Top Palestinian officials and Hamas have criticised the decision by some Western countries to suspend funding to the United Nations relief agency for Palestinians and called for an immediate reversal of the move that entails "great" risk, Al-Jazeera reports.
On Saturday, Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Secretary-General Hussein al-Sheikh said the countries' decision "entails great political and humanitarian relief risks".
"At this particular time and in light of the continuing aggression against the Palestinian people, we need the maximum support for this international organization and not stopping support and assistance to it," he wrote on X, urging the countries to "immediately reverse their decision".
"We ask the UN and the international organisations to not cave in to the threats and blackmail" from Israel, Hamas's press office said in a post on Telegram.
Israel has often resorted to propaganda, which Western powers have easily fallen for.
When Israel stormed the al-Shifa hospital in November last year, it claimed the place was a cover for the military operation of Hamas.
A US spokesperson later refused to comment on the matter and said there was no independent party to verify any of Israel's claims.
