The United Nations refugee agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) saw financing paused on Saturday by Britain, Italy, and Finland, the latest nation to do so in response to claims that its employees were complicit in the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7.
UNRWA was established at Israel’s inception to assist 1948 war refugees. It offers health, education, and humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon. It provides aid to around two thirds of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents and has been essential in the present conflict.
After Israel claimed that 12 UNRWA personnel were involved in the cross-border attack, the United States, Australia, and Canada had already stopped providing financing to the assistance organization.
“The Italian government has suspended financing of the UNRWA after the atrocious attack on Israel on October 7,” Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani wrote on X.
Finland announced that financing had been stopped. Cutting off support carries significant political and humanitarian implications, according to Hussein al-Sheikh, head of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the political umbrella organization for Palestinians.
“We call on countries that announced the cessation of their support for UNRWA to immediately reverse their decision,” he mentioned on X.
