The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is a UN agency that operates for the benefit of Palestinian refugees.
Having been founded in 1949, UNRWA is the only UN refugee agency dedicated to a specific area and refugee crisis.
The organization continues to operate in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, providing humanitarian aid and education for Palestinians.
However, UNRWA has also come under fire for a number of controversies, such as those who claim it creates dependency rather than resettling refugees and others who claim it promotes antisemitism and incitement against Israel in its educational programs.
Germany said on Wednesday it plans to resume cooperation with UNRWA, signaling a resumption of funding, frozen after Israel accused 12 UNRWA staff of participating in the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack.
A review of the agency's neutrality said Israel had yet to provide evidence for its accusations that a significant number of UNRWA staff were members of terrorist groups
Research and an updated accumulation of facts regarding UNRWA’s questionable neutrality have finally been conducted.
Of the initial 12 accused by Israel, UNRWA fired 10 people and said the remaining two are dead. It was not immediately clear how they died.
Germany will follow in the footsteps of Australia, Canada, Sweden, and Japan.
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“Hamas has infiltrated UNRWA so deeply that it is no longer possible to determine where UNRWA ends and where Hamas begins,” said Foreign Minister Israel Katz.
The report, which could prompt some donors to review funding freezes, also said Israel had yet to provide supporting evidence for its claim against the agency.
"In the north, infants and young children have begun to die of malnutrition and dehydration," he said.
The CMI's researchers allegedly have strong connections with UNRWA, have worked to justify the October 7 attacks, have pro-Palestinian agendas, and have even interviewed Hamas and PIJ members.
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