High-ranking UN officials have issued a warning that the “collapse of the humanitarian system” could result from the cutoff of financing for their primary relief organization in Gaza. After financing was blocked by the US, UK, and other nations due to allegations that certain UN employees had aided Hamas in their attacks on Israel on October 7, they took a stand. The claims led to the dismissal of multiple UN employees. It said an inquiry into its refugee agency for Palestinians, UNRWA, is in progress. Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, said that UNRWA had “perforated with Hamas” and that Israel had “discovered that there were 13 UNRWA workers who actually participated, either directly or indirectly, in the 7 October massacre”.
However, the US, the UNWRA’s largest donor, has stated that it wants the assistance organization to carry on with its job. US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller stated, “There is no other humanitarian player in Gaza who can provide food, water, and medicine at the scale that UNRWA does.” “We want to see that work continued which is why it is so important that the United Nations take this matter seriously, that they investigate, that there is accountability for anyone who is found to have engaged in wrongdoing.” In the October 7 massacre, gunmen from Hamas killed over 1,300 people and kidnapped nearly 250 others.
As a result of Israel’s offensive against Hamas, more than 26,700 Palestinians have died in Gaza. According to recent research reviewed by the BBC, more than half of Gaza’s buildings have been damaged or destroyed during the offensive. A thorough, impartial investigation into UNRWA is underway, according to UN Secretary-General António Guterres. According to a UNRWA representative, the organization won’t be able to carry on with activities until the end of February if money is not restored. The UN Inter-Agency Standing Committee said in a statement that “the allegations of involvement of several UNRWA staff in the heinous attacks on Israel on 7 October are horrifying.”
“Any UN employee participating in acts of terror will be held accountable, as the secretary-general has stated. But we can’t stop a whole organization from fulfilling its goal of helping people. “Withdrawing funds from UNRWA is perilous and would result in the collapse of the humanitarian system in Gaza, with far-reaching humanitarian and human rights consequences in the occupied Palestinian territory and across the region,” it states. “The world cannot abandon the people of Gaza.” Additionally, on Tuesday, the UN representative for Gaza stated that UNRWA’s “knowledge” of the Gaza population makes it impossible for any other organization to take its position.
The piece was both informative and thought-provoking, like a deep conversation that lingers into the night.