Australian PM says Canberra probing UNRWA October 7 claims before restoring funding

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says his government is probing claims that some staff of the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA were involved in the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, after Australia paused funding to the aid agency last month.

“We’re examining it, along with other like-minded countries like Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. We want that to be resolved,” Albanese tells the Australian Broadcasting Corp regarding the allegations, according to a transcript.

The Labour party leader says his government wants to make sure the accusations are “fully examined” so that all funding is “going to the purpose for which it is given.”

The prime minister adds that he does not want people “literally starving” in Gaza and “the only organization that can provide that support there is UNRWA.”

Last week, Anthony D’Adam and Stephen Lawrence, two Labour party members of the New South Wales Parliament, signed a letter calling on Foreign Minister Penny Wong to reverse the funding freeze, calling the move “incredulous.” D’Adam has been a vocal critic of Israel, signing a letter in December urging Canberra to revisit its ties.

NSW Premier Chris Mimms appeared to chide the MPs for the move in an interview with ABC on Friday, saying that “when we’ve solved all the problems in New South Wales, then we can move on to the Middle East. But we’re a long way from that.”