The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), crucial for providing aid relief to two million people in Gaza, faces funding cuts following Israel’s accusations against some of its staff in connection with the 7 October Hamas attack. The UN announced on Saturday, 27 January, has terminated nine of its 12 implicated employees and promised accountability. The allegations, however, have prompted an abrupt funding reduction from Western countries amid Gaza’s humanitarian crisis, worsened by nearly four months of conflict. Nine countries, including the United States, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Finland, have suspended their funding for the UNRWA. The top ten donors to the UNRWA in 2022 were the US, Germany, the EU, Sweden, Norway, Japan, France, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, and Turkey. EU member states alone made up 44.3 percent of the total pledges to UNRWA, contributing USD 520.3 million (EGP 16 billion). Over 25 percent of households in Gaza are currently experiencing severe hunger, and there is a potential for famine unless there is a restoration of access to sufficient food, clean water, and essential health…
The post Israeli Accusations Spark Funding Cuts for UNRWA as Gazans Struggle With Hunger first appeared on Egyptian Streets.
Source: egyptianstreets
