Despite UN appeal, US and UK don’t fund ‘critical lifeline’ to Palestinians
Al Jazeera
Israel has tried for years to dismantle the UNRWA, which helps Palestinian refugees in Gaza and elsewhere.
The United Nations chief has led an internationally backed effort to support its agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) but has yet to persuade its biggest Western donors.
The United States and the United Kingdom, key allies of Israel, have continued to financially block the main organisation delivering humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and elsewhere.
Fourteen of the 16 donor nations resumed funding after suspending it in January, when Israel accused members of the organisation of having taken part in the October 7 Hamas-led attacks that killed more than 1,100 people in southern Israel.
The US was the UNRWA’s biggest donor, but Congress has banned any payments to the agency until March 25, 2025.
An independent review in April found that Israel has not presented credible evidence for its claims. There is a separate investigation into the October attack itself, by the UN’s Office of Internal Oversight Services.
