EU to release funds for Palestinian aid organization UNRWA
Following Israel's allegations against the aid organization UNRWA, many donors suspended their funding to the agency, which aids Palestinians. The EU will now resume funding. But members are not united on Gaza.
Following allegations by Israel's government that a dozen staff members of the 13,000 employees of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Gaza were involved in October's attack in Israel, the European Commission suspended payments to the aid organization for one month.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas — which the European Union, Germany and others designate as a terrorist organization — led an attack in Israel that resulted in the deaths of nearly 1,200 people and the taking of more than 200 hostages. In response, Israel launched an assault on the besieged enclave which has since killed over 30,000 people and displaced about 80% of the population.
In November, a first breakthrough deal between Israel and Hamas saw the release of about 110 hostages. Talks are currently ongoing for a ceasefire and the release of remaining hostages.
Partial fund released
Starting next week, the EU expects to resume payments to UNRWA, with one tranche of €50 million ($54 million), followed by another €32 million split into two installments later in the year.
This comes after long negotiations, in which UNRWA had agreed to EU conditions. The United Nations launched an internal investigation into the affair, and the EU is conducting an independent probe with its own experts.
In an exchange of correspondence with the EU, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini assured the Commission that his organization was not involved in the October 7 attack in Israel, and that all of his 13,000 members of staff working in the besieged Gaza Strip were being reviewed.
Previously, in a February meeting with EU foreign ministers, Lazzarini said that Israeli officials had yet to provide any evidence for the accusations leveled against the relief organization. A UN spokesperson also said that they were still waiting for Israel to provide records or other intelligence.
Given the ongoing assault by Israeli forces in Gaza, EU foreign ministers recognized that UNRWA was essential to providing at least basic relief to the beleaguered population.
EU boosting humanitarian aid through partners
The European Commission has also announced it would pledge an additional €68 million in emergency support for Palestinians in Gaza, to be paid through international aid organizations such as the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
These funds will be provided in addition to the €125 million already allotted for this year. That would bring the total sum of humanitarian aid for Palestinians, whether through UNRWA or through other international organizations, to €275 million.
Speaking about the increase, the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: "We stand by the Palestinian people in Gaza and elsewhere in the region. Innocent Palestinians should not have to pay the price for the crimes of terrorist group Hamas. They face terrible conditions putting their lives at risk because of lack of access to sufficient food and other basic needs."
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