From the Liveblog of
Monday, February 5, 2024
After suspending UNRWA funding, US aims to send aid to other agencies operating in Gaza
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
The United States is looking at sending its humanitarian funding for Gaza to other agencies following its decision last month to suspend aid to UNRWA over allegations that 12 of the organization’s staffers participated in Hamas’s October 7 terror onslaught, US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel says.
“We’re looking at what options exist for supporting civilians in Gaza through partners like the World Food Program, UNICEF and other NGOs,” Patel says during a press briefing.
The supplemental funding package approved by the Senate last night includes roughly $1.4 billion in humanitarian funding for Gaza with a preclusion against any of it going to UNRWA.
“There’s text in this pending legislation that would preclude us from [donating to UNRWA]. We are an administration that follows the law,” Patel stresses.
However, he clarifies that the US still believes UNRWA’s work is “critical” and is accordingly pushing the UN to expeditiously carry out its probe into UNRWA so that reforms could be implemented that may allow for funding to be restored.
