Jerusalem

Israel said that it will stop the operations of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees in Gaza once the war gets over, said a minister on Saturday (Jan 27) after several UNRWA staff were accused by Tel Aviv of being involved in Hamas's October 7 attack.

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Taking to X, Israel Foreign Minister Israel Katz said that the country is aiming to ensure "UNRWA will not be a part of the day after", adding that he will try getting more support from the European Union, United States, and other major contributors to the agency.

Meanwhile, Palestinian militant group Hamas slammed the “threats” issued by Israel against UNRWA and appealed to the UN and other international organisations not to "cave in to the threats and blackmail".

"We ask the UN and the international organisations to not cave in to the threats and blackmail from Israel," said Hamas's press office, in a post on Telegram.

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On Friday (Jan 26), the UNRWA said that it had sacked many employees who were accused of being involved in Hamas' unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel and led the United States to stop critical funding.

Head of the agency Philippe Lazzarini promised to hold "accountable, including through criminal prosecution" any UNRWA employee who is found to be involved in acts of terror.

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Responding to the firing of employees, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also said that an "urgent and comprehensive independent review of UNRWA", will be conducted, as stated by his spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

The US State Department announced that it has "temporarily paused additional funding" to the agency while the claims are being reviewed by the officials. Twelve employees "may have been involved", it said.

Canada and Australia also temporarily suspended their funding to the agency.

UK 'temporarily pausing' aid to UN agency

The UK government also announced that it will be "temporarily pausing any future funding" to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.

"The UK is appalled by allegations that UNRWA staff were involved in the 7 October attack against Israel," said the Foreign Office said, further stating that the aid will be placed on hold while "we review these concerning allegations".

Italy halts aid to UN agency for Palestinian refugees

Meanwhile, Italy also joined other countries in halting funding to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.

Taking to X, Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said, "The Italian government has suspended financing UNRWA after the atrocious Hamas attack on October 7.”

"Allied countries have taken a similar decision. We are committed to providing humanitarian aid to the Palestinian population while protecting Israel's security," he said.

Top PLO official says stopping funding of UNRWA carries risks

The Palestine Liberation Organisation's Secretary General Hussein al-Sheikh said that the decision by a few countries to stop funding of the UN Relief Agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) carries some major political and relief risks.

Watch: Reactions to ICJ ruling on Israel's war in Gaza

“We call on countries that announced the cessation of their support for UNRWA to immediately reverse their decision,” al-Sheikh said, adding that it “entails great political and humanitarian relief risks, as at this particular time.”

“We need the maximum support for this international organisation and not stopping support and assistance to it,” he said. 

Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

(With inputs from agencies)