Germany: No new funds for UNRWA in the Gaza Strip for the time being
The German-Israeli Society (DIG) demanded that the federal government stop its payments until the allegations were verified. UNRWA behaved “like an accomplice” of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, explained DIG President Volker Beck. On Saturday evening it was said that Germany does not want to approve any new funds for the time being. “Until the clarification is complete, Germany, in coordination with other donor countries, will temporarily not approve any new funds for UNWRA in Gaza,” said the Foreign Office and the Development Ministry.
At the same time, the ministries emphasized that humanitarian aid for the Palestinians was continuing. A few days ago, funding for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the UN children’s fund Unicef was increased by seven million euros. UNWRA is vital for the basic needs of the Palestinian population. It was “absolutely right” that UNRWA acted immediately in light of the allegations against staff and that Commissioner General Lazzarini “took immediate action”.
According to its own information, the federal government supported the UN relief organization with more than 200 million euros in 2023 alone.
Last year, the aid organization said it also received 82 million euros from the European Union. After the Hamas attacks, the EU Commission scrutinized its funding to ensure that support did not directly or indirectly benefit terrorist activities. The EU’s total aid to Palestinians amounts to 1.2 billion euros for the period 2021 to 2024.
Other countries also no longer want to pay for the time being
The USA stopped its financial aid to UNRWA immediately after the allegations became known, as did Canada and Australia. Italy and Great Britain also joined the move on Saturday.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said his country wanted to provide humanitarian aid to the Palestinian population while at the same time protecting “Israel’s security.” The British Foreign Office reacted “horrified” to the allegations against UNRWA and announced that it would suspend its aid payments while it investigated these “worrying allegations.”
The Swiss Foreign Ministry said its aid to the UN relief agency for 2024 had not yet been approved. No decision will be made on the matter “until we have more information on the serious allegations against UNRWA staff.”
UNRWA chief: Payment freeze threatens our humanitarian work
For Israel, the reactions do not go far enough. His government wants to ensure that UNRWA will no longer play a role in the Palestinian territory after the end of the war in the Gaza Strip, Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on
UNRWA head Lazzarini, however, appealed to countries to reconsider their position, otherwise all humanitarian work in the region would be at risk. “These decisions threaten our ongoing humanitarian work across the region, including and especially in the Gaza Strip,” Lazzarini said.
And the head of UNRWA criticized the decision: “It is shocking that funding for the agency was suspended in response to the allegations against a small group of staff.” The lives of two million people in the Gaza Strip depend on this support, said Lazzarini.
Following the allegations, Israel’s foreign minister has called for the UNRWA chief to resign. “Mr. Lazzarini, please resign,” wrote Israel Katz on the online platform X.
UNRWA founded in 1949
The United Nations founded UNRWA in 1949 to help Palestinian refugees. According to the organization, around 5.9 million people are now entitled to its services. These include Palestinians who fled or were expelled in 1948, as well as their descendants. UNRWA operates in Jordan, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories, among others.
Hamas called on the United Nations and other international organizations not to give in to Israel’s “threats and blackmail.” Israel has been taking massive military action in the Gaza Strip since October 7th, with the declared aim of destroying Hamas.
Fight in Khan Yunis
According to Hamas’ latest figures, which cannot be independently verified, more than 26,250 people have been killed in the Palestinian territory since the start of the Israeli offensive.
Fierce fighting between Israel and Hamas continued on Saturday. According to eyewitness reports, they concentrated on Khan Yunis, the largest city in the south of the Gaza Strip. The Hamas government reported that a refugee camp and the Nasser Hospital in particular had been subjected to heavy tank fire since the morning. AFP-TV reporters saw thousands of civilians fleeing the city on foot on Saturday.
Khan Yunis is the hometown of Hamas leader Jahja Sinwar, who is considered the mastermind of the major attack on Israel. According to the Israeli army, many high-ranking Hamas members are hiding there.
Another hostage deal?
Despite the current military situation, a hostage deal between the conflicting parties could be getting closer. The New York Times reported, citing US government circles, that US negotiators had drawn up a draft based on proposals from Israel and the Islamist terrorist organization Hamas, which would be discussed in Paris this Sunday. The deal therefore stipulates that Hamas will release more than 100 hostages and that Israel will stop its military action in the Gaza Strip for around two months.
With information from AFP and dpa.