France Suspends Funding for UNRWA

France has announced the suspension of its financial assistance to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) in the first quarter of 2024, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs released on Sunday.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged donor countries to ensure the continuity of UNRWA's operations after several nations suspended their funding due to allegations that UNRWA employees may have been involved in a Hamas attack on October 7th of last year.

Guterres stated in a release, that he has also been alarmed by these allegations, he appeals to the governments that have suspended their contributions to ensure at least the continuity of UNRWA's operations.

Israel accused several former UNRWA employees of being involved in the Al-Aqsa Storm operation carried out by Hamas, leading major donor countries to suspend their funding for the UN agency.

The Israeli government has not disclosed details of the evidence related to the alleged involvement of UNRWA employees in the attacks.

Philip Lazarev, the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), called on countries to reconsider their suspension of funding for the agency.

In a statement released on Saturday, Lazarev stated that nine countries have announced they will temporarily withdraw their funding for UNRWA after the agency terminated the contracts of employees suspected of involvement in the October 7th attacks.

UNRWA has stated that it is investigating all allegations concerning its employees.

Lazarev added that it is shocking to see the agency's funds suspended in response to allegations against a small group of employees, especially in light of the immediate action taken by UNRWA to terminate their contracts and call for an independent and transparent investigation.