Australia Pauses Aid to UN in Gaza Over Alleged Hamas Involvement

Displaced Gaza residents sit on benches as they wait outside a clinic of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Jan. 28, 2024. AFP via Getty Images

Australia has suspended funding to a United Nations relief agency amid allegations employees were involved in the Hamas terrorist attack against Israel on Oct. 7.

The United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Finland, Japan, and Netherlands are among nations that have also paused aid.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong described allegations against staff at the U.N. Relief Works Agency (UNRWA) as “deeply concerning.”

The move to halt aid follows pressure from the Opposition, including Foreign Affairs Shadow Minister Simon Birmingham and Shadow Home Affairs Minister James Paterson.

The Australian government is continuing the provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza. In January, the government announced $21.5 million (US$14.1 million) for Gaza, including $6 million for the UNRWA.

Ms. Wong said Australia will engage closely with UNRWA on investigations and is “consulting with international partners.”

“While we do this, we will temporarily pause disbursement of recently announced funding,” she said.

“Australia is deeply concerned by allegations UNRWA staff may have been involved in the abhorrent Oct. 7 terror attacks.”

“We welcome UNRWA’s immediate response, including terminating contracts and launching an investigation, as well as it’s recent announcement of a full investigation into allegations against the organisation.”

US Pauses Funding to UN Agency

On Friday (U.S. time), the United States revealed it would pause funding to the U.N. agency amid allegations that 12 staff were involved in the Hamas terror attack on Israel.

The attack claimed more than 1,200 lives and led to Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu declaring “we are at war.”

“The Department of State has temporarily paused additional funding for UNRWA while we review these allegations and the steps the United Nations is taking to address them,” U.S. Department of State spokesperson Matthew Miller said.

“The United States is extremely troubled by the allegations that twelve UNRWA employees may have been involved in the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel.”

Mr. Milled advised that Secretary of State Antony Blinken had spoken to U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres to stress the need for a thorough and swift investigation into the matter.

“We welcome the decision to conduct such an investigation and Secretary General Guterres’ pledge to take decisive action to respond, should the allegations prove accurate,” Mr. Miller said.

“We also welcome the U.N.’s announcement of a “comprehensive and independent” review of UNRWA.  There must be complete accountability for anyone who participated in the heinous attacks of Oct. 7.”

On Jan. 27, Shadow Foreign Minister Simon Birmingham urged Australia to take the allegations seriously and pause funding to the UNRWA.

“Australia should join the Biden administration, take these allegations seriously and pause funding to UNRWA until completely confident it will not support violence or extremism,” Mr. Birmingham said.

“Humanitarian help to innocent civilians in Gaza is critical, but must be delivered by trusted partners.”

Ms. Wong said the UNRWA conducts “vital, life saving work” including providing essential services in Gaza to those who need it, with 1.4 million residents of Gaza sheltering in its facilities.

“Australia will continue to support the people of Gaza and work to provide humanitarian assistance. We reiterate our calls for civilians to be protected, and for humanitarian access.”

In mid-January, Mr. Paterson raised the alarm bell about the funding to U.N. agency, noting that it had been linked to Hamas in the past.

“UNRWA is a United Nations agency which operates in Gaza and the West Bank and it has in the past been implicated with funding, inadvertently, organisations like Hamas,” he said on Jan. 17.

“UNRWA is an organisation which we cannot be assured Australian taxpayers money is well spent and I do want the government to be able to reassure Australians that taxpayers money won’t end up finding its way to Hamas because they funded UNRWA.”

But Ms. Wong said on Jan. 16 the funding would provide urgent lifesaving assistance including food, shelter, and emergency healthcare.

“We are working with our international partners to ensure desperately needed food and other humanitarian assistance reaches those who need it most,” she said at the time.

The federal government also allocated $15 million for humanitarian assistance to Gaza on Oct. 26, on top of $10 million provided after Oct. 7.

‘Collective Punishment’: Palestine Diplomat

However, Head of the General Delegation of Palestine to Australia Izzat Abdulhadi described the move to pause aid for Gaza as “collective punishment.”

“It’s very disappointing and it will impact a lot of lives in the Gaza Strip,” he said in an interview with AAP.

“It’s the collective punishment of 5.6 million Palestinian refugees.”

Mr. Abdulhadi raised concerns the pause could “increase anger and radicalisation” within the Arab Muslim community in Australia.

Free Palestine Geelong described the withdrawal of funding as a “concerted and coordinated international effort among U.S. allies to ”cripple the upscaling of humanitarian aid to Gaza” in a Facebook post.

However, the Australian Jewish Association (AJA) raised concerns that Australia was funding a “terrorism factory” in a post to X on Jan. 29.

“UNRWA has been teaching hatred of Israel, teaching antisemitism, and facilitating the flow of new young terrorists for years,” the AJA said.

“No politician, bureaucrat or journalist can claim they were not warned.”