Canada and Sweden are re-funding the main UN agency supporting Palestinian refugees in Gaza, citing a spiraling humanitarian disaster there and saying the agency had taken steps to improve accountability amid accusations that some of its staff they had relations with Hamas.
The countries were among a dozen that suspended payments to the aid agency, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, known as UNRWA, after Israel’s accusations in January that a dozen of its 13,000 staff in Gaza were involved on October 7 Hamas-led attacks on Israel or their aftermath.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it was a “serious mistake” for the two countries to resume funding the UN agency. “It constitutes tacit consent and encouragement on the part of the governments of Canada and Sweden to continue to ignore the involvement of UNRWA staff in terrorist activities,” the statement said.
UNRWA has argued that Israel has targeted it in a “deliberate and coordinated campaign” to undermine its activities when its services are most needed. Warnings of widespread starvation bordering on starvation have become more urgent and signs of desperation are mounting as people resort to eating animal feed or ambushing aid trucks.
In a government statement on Saturday, Sweden said it would disburse a conditional first payment of about $20 million. It said UNRWA had agreed to allow independent audits and strengthen internal oversight.
“In this emergency, when the need is so great for the civilian population, saving lives is paramount,” the statement said.
Canadian officials said Friday they had received an interim report from the United Nations home office investigating the allegations and that the agency had taken immediate steps to improve accountability. The United Nations also commissioned an external review.
The European Union, one of UNRWA’s biggest donors, announced last week that it was significantly increasing funding to the agency, saying Palestinians face dire conditions and should not be made to pay for Hamas’ crimes. The first tranche of 50 million euros, about $54 million, was scheduled to be disbursed this week.
The United States said it would await the results of the UN investigations before deciding whether to continue the donations. The United States is the organization’s single largest donor, having pledged $344 million in 2022.
Canadian officials said UNRWA plays a “vital role” in providing humanitarian aid to Gaza’s 2.2 million civilians and that other organizations depend on the long-standing service’s expertise and infrastructure.
The international community has faced increasing pressure to act to alleviate the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. UNRWA officials said that without the reversal of donor country suspensions, which cost it about $450 million in funding, the agency would soon run out of supplies.
The United States and other countries announced plans this week to try to bring aid to northern Gaza by sea via the Mediterranean coast. In recent weeks, nations have been sending aid via helicopters attached to parachutes.
Israel has claimed that at least 10 percent of UNRWA staff in Gaza are linked to Palestinian armed groups, and that it says the workers’ ties to Hamas put the agency at risk. In a proposal for Gaza’s post-war governance last month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu included a call for UNRWA to be shut down and replaced “with responsible international aid agencies.”
Philippe Lazzarini, head of UNRWA, said this week that he had not received any additional information to support Israel’s accusations after they were first presented to him in January, but that the agency had immediately terminated the contracts of staff members accused of involvement with in October. 7 attacks due to the seriousness of the claim.
Aaron Boxerman contributed reporting from Jerusalem.
