The UK is pausing its funding for the U.N.’s relief agency in Gaza over allegations that a number of its employees were involved in the Hamas-led terrorist attack on Oct. 7 last year.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said the UK is “appalled” by the allegations and will review them while suspending future funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
It comes after the UNRWA said it had sacked several of its employees in Gaza suspected of taking part in last year’s assault by Hamas and other terrorists on southern Israel.
The United States—the agency’s biggest donor—Australia, Italy, and Canada have also suspended funding to the agency.
In a statement released on Saturday, an FCDO spokesperson said: “The UK is appalled by allegations that UNRWA staff were involved in the 7 October attack against Israel, a heinous act of terrorism that the UK government has repeatedly condemned.
“The UK is temporarily pausing any future funding of UNRWA whilst we review these concerning allegations.
“We remain committed to getting humanitarian aid to the people in Gaza who desperately need it.”
The UNRWA was established in 1949 to provide humanitarian assistance to Palestinian refugees.
Its area of operation includes the Gaza Strip, where Israel has been carrying out a military campaign to neutralize the Hamas terror group, whose operatives use the area to stage attacks against Israel.
UNRWA has 13,000 staff in Gaza, almost all of them Palestinians, ranging from teachers in schools that the agency runs, to doctors, medical staff, and aid workers.
Mr. Lazzarini said he had decided to terminate the contracts of these UNRWA employees immediately and launch an investigation.
“Any UNRWA employee who was involved in acts of terror will be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution,” he added.
The U.N. chief’s spokesperson said that UNRWA would commission an “independent expert review” of the allegations.
UNRWA Controversy
Some see UNRWA as a critical provider of services to beleaguered Arab populations in the Gaza Strip and West Bank, while others see it as an enabler of the crisis and an obstacle to peace—and many say it’s both.Israel has long maintained that the Hamas terrorist group has used UNRWA-operated schools and health facilities in Gaza to shield its terror operations.
“This is a political organization that, at the beginning, served the interests of Arab states that didn’t want to absorb Palestinian refugees into their countries,” he said.
On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led terrorists launched surprise attacks on Israel, slaughtering some 1,200 Israelis and kidnapping more than 240 hostages.
The death toll in Gaza has since reached over 26,000, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza health ministry.