UNRWA claims: UN chief Guterres seeks aid halt U-turn after staff alleged of helping Hamas

UNRWA claims: UN chief Guterres seeks aid halt U-turn after staff alleged of helping Hamas

BBC

UN chief António Guterres has urged countries that halted funding for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, to continue its operations.

“The dire needs of the desperate populations they serve must be met,” Mr Guterres said.

Eight countries, including the UK, took the action after Israel told the agency some UNRWA staff were involved in the 7 October deadly Hamas attacks on Israel.

The agency says it is investigating and has already sacked some employees.

The countries that have now suspended funding UNRWA are Australia, Canada, Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, the UK and the US.

Created in 1949, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, UNRWA, is the biggest UN agency operating in Gaza. It provides healthcare, education and other humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. It employs around 13,000 people inside Gaza.

Since Israel began its offensive in response to the Hamas attacks UNRWA has used its facilities across Gaza to shelter hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians…

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