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The head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said the decision by several Western countries to suspend aid to the United Nations Palestine Refugee Agency was “collective punishment,” and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also urged donor countries to cooperate. I called out. Maintaining much-needed aid to Gaza.
UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said such decisions came as “the arrival of famine” in the Gaza Strip, which has been devastated by nearly four months of relentless Israeli shelling that has killed more than 26,000 people. He said he was shocked.
The agency has 13,000 employees in Gaza and is the main organization supporting Gazans during the humanitarian disaster. Lazzarini said more than 2 million of the besieged enclave’s 2.3 million people depend on UNRWA for “pure survival”, including food and shelter, adding that this lifeline “could collapse at any moment”. It’s not strange,” he warned.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres joined Lazzarini’s call on Sunday, appealing to donor countries to continue supporting UN agencies working in Gaza. “The desperate needs of the desperate people they serve must be met.”
Secretary-General Guterres said UN staff involved in acts of “terrorism” would be held accountable, but added: “The tens of thousands of men and women who work at UNRWA, many of them in the most dangerous situations for humanitarian workers, will not be punished. It shouldn’t be done,” he added. ”.
The Hamas attack killed about 1,100 people, mostly civilians, and captured about 240 people.
9 UNRWA staff dismissed
Nine of the 12 UNRWA employees accused of involvement in the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel have been fired, the UN chief said. One person was confirmed dead, and the identities of the other two are still being revealed.
“The Office stands ready to cooperate with competent authorities capable of prosecuting individuals in accordance with the Office’s normal procedures for such cooperation.”
The United Nations announced Friday that it was investigating several staff members over the allegations.
But Israel continues to attack U.N. agencies, and Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Saturday called for Lazzarini’s resignation.
Palestinian officials and Hamas have criticized the decision, saying it poses “great risks to political and humanitarian relief.”
Hussein Al-Sheikh, Secretary-General of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), said: “At this special time, given the continued attacks on the Palestinian people, we need maximum support for this international organization. We will not stop supporting and assisting the people.” Regarding X, it called on each country to “immediately rescind its decision.”
Former UNRWA spokesperson Chris Ganes said there was a “coordinated political attack” on the UN agency supporting Palestinian refugees.
“The Israelis claim they cannot win the war in Gaza unless UNRWA is disbanded. So what is the clearer signal?” he told Al Jazeera.
Life-saving assistance to UNRWA is coming to an end following countries’ decisions to cut funding to UNRWA.
Our humanitarian operations, on which 2 million people in Gaza depend for a lifeline, are collapsing. I am shocked that such a decision would be made based on one person’s questionable behavior.
— Philip Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) January 27, 2024
Western countries stop aid
The United States announced that 12 officials were under investigation and immediately withdrew funding, followed by several other countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, Finland, Switzerland and Italy.
On Sunday, the French Foreign Ministry said the Paris government does not plan to make any new aid payments to UNRWA in the first quarter of this year and what action it should take in cooperation with the United Nations and other major donors. He announced that he will make a decision when the time comes.
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the 27 member states would “assess further measures and draw lessons based on the results of a full and comprehensive investigation”.
“While I understand their concerns, I am also appalled by these accusations. I urge governments that have suspended contributions to at least guarantee UNRWA’s continued operations,” Guterres said.
Meanwhile, there are reports that U.S. negotiators are making progress toward a potential agreement in which Israel would suspend military operations against Hamas for two months in exchange for the release of more than 100 prisoners. Al Jazeera could not independently verify the report.
CIA Director Bill Burns met in France on Sunday with Israel’s Mossad agent David Balnea, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, and Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel, with a focus on detention negotiations. We are planning to hold a meeting on the subject.
Over 2 million people #Gaza by @UNRWA To survive as war and displacement continue.
Many people are going hungry as the clock ticks towards impending famine. @UNRWA It operates shelters for more than 1 million people and provides food and primary health care during hostilities. https://t.co/lPEdNQtq8H
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) January 27, 2024
dire situation
The humanitarian situation in Gaza is dire after Israeli attacks destroyed large swathes of the Palestinian enclave and displaced nearly 85 percent of the Gaza Strip’s population.
Scarce medical facilities function in the enclave, with low capacity, and UNRWA facilities, primarily schools, are widely used as shelters for displaced people.
Ganes, the former UNRWA chief, said there were only weeks left before the UN agency ran out of funding for critical aid efforts to save the lives of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
“My message to the Arab world, especially the Gulf countries, is where are you? Because they are making billions every day in oil revenues. If only a fraction of these oil revenues , UNRWA’s financial problems will be resolved overnight. This unjust gap created by these Western countries will be quickly filled,” Ganes told Al Jazeera.
“Some of the most desperate people in the Middle East are now facing hunger and Arab countries need to rise up.”
Meanwhile, Israel continues to bombard south-central Khan Yunis, with the Gaza Health Ministry reporting that 174 Palestinians have been killed in the past 24 hours.
Nasser Hospital, the largest medical facility in southern Gaza, has been under siege by Israeli forces for the past five days and is on the verge of collapse. Doctors at the hospital have warned that the hospital will be unable to function for a long time due to a lack of supplies.
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