The United Kingdom has joined other nations in halting funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in Gaza, known as UNRWA. On Friday, the agency opened an investigation and announced several employees were fired due to their alleged involvement in Hamas’s attack on Israel on Oct. 7.
“The UK is appalled by allegations that UNRWA staff were involved in the 7 October attack against Israel, a heinous act of terrorism that the UK Government has repeatedly condemned,” the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said in a statement.
Israel accused 12 employees of the UNRWA of participating in Hamas’s attack on Israel, which resulted in at least 1,200 people dead and more than 250 hostages taken. The death toll has surpassed 26,000 Palestinians as of Friday, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
“The Israeli Authorities have provided UNRWA with information about the alleged involvement of several UNRWA employees in the horrific attacks on Israel on 7 October,” said Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner-general of UNRWA. “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.”
As a result, several Western nations, including the United States, the agency’s largest donor, Australia, and Italy, have pulled funding to the UNRWA.
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The UNRWA was established in 1949, in the wake of the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. The agency assisted displaced Palestinians with education, healthcare, social services, and jobs. The group continues to provide support in Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. The UNRWA reported as of Monday, 1.7 million people, more than 75% of the population, have been displaced in the Gaza Strip.
This week, the U.N. agency reported its facility sheltering civilians in the Gaza city of Khan Younis was hit by direct fire, killing 13 and wounding dozens. While the agency did not blame Israel directly for the attack, Thomas White, a senior official with UNRWA, said parties are failing to uphold “fundamental principles of international humanitarian law.” The Israeli government said it is investigating the attack and said it had been from Hamas rocket.
