The head of the main UN Palestinian relief agency, UNRWA, is visiting three Gulf states this week to drum up support after donors suspended funding following Israeli allegations that some of the agency’s staff were involved in the Oct. 7 massacre attack that claimed the lives of 1,200 people.
Some 15 of its most important donors, including the United States, have suspended funding after Israel UN Watch provided evidence UNRWA staff were involved in Oct. 7.
UNRWA warned last week that it might be forced to shut down its operations by the end of February if funding does not resume.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has previously said nine of those implicated had been fired, one was dead and the identities of the other two were being clarified.
Investigations into UNRWA ongoing
Guterres announced on Monday that an independent review of UNRWA’s ability to ensure neutrality and respond to allegations of conduct breaches would be led by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna.
Colonna will work with the Raoul Wallenberg Institute in Sweden, the Chr. Michelsen Institute in Norway, and the Danish Institute for Human Rights, will submit an interim report by late March and a final report by late April that will be made public.
Guterres said the independent external review will take place alongside an investigation currently underway by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services.
The decision to hold the external review was taken prior to allegations of UNRWA staff involvement in October 7, but with an eye to general accusations made against the organization.
“The cooperation of the Israeli authorities, who made these allegations, will be critical to the success of the investigation,” Guterres said in a statement.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said on X he met with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Monday to discuss UNRWA’s work in “preserving the stability in the region” and delivering aid to two million people in Gaza.
Spokesperson Juliette Touma told Reuters that Lazzarini would visit Qatar and Kuwait later this week.
“We are hoping those that paused (funding) will reconsider and others will step forward as well,” she said.\
Kuwait and Qatar rank 19th and 20th in UNRWA’s list of top 20 donors, giving $12 million and $10.5 million respectively in 2022. The United Arab Emirates was not listed.
Spain said on Monday it will send UNRWA an additional 3.5 million euros ($3.8 million) in aid, Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told lawmakers.
“UNRWA’s situation is desperate and there is a serious risk that its humanitarian activities will be paralyzed in Gaza within a few weeks,” Albares told lawmakers.
Madrid contributed 18.5 million euros directly to UNRWA in 2023, including 10 million euros approved in December following the decision to triple development and humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territories.
On Friday, neighboring Portugal announced additional aid to UNRWA worth one million euros. Foreign Minister Joao Cravinho wrote on social media platform X it was essential “not to turn our backs on the Palestinian population at this difficult time.”
Set up in 1949, UNRWA provides education, health, and aid services to millions of Palestinians across Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon. In Gaza, it is providing shelter for some one million people displaced by Israel’s offensive.
While some private donors and countries like Spain have stepped up to offer additional help, Touma said that it was not nearly enough to offset the gap estimated at $440 million.