From the Liveblog of
Thursday, February 15, 2024
Ireland to donate €20 million to UNRWA
Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
During a visit by UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini, Ireland announces that it will provide €20 million to the embattled UN agency.
“In Gaza, we are bearing witness to a humanitarian catastrophe,” says Ireland’s Tánaiste and Foreign Minister Micheál Martin. “People are in dire need of the most basic lifesaving provisions – food, water, shelter. In these most harrowing conditions, facing the prospect of further military escalation, UNRWA is the backbone of the humanitarian response.”
Last year, Ireland provided €18 million.
Israel last month accused 12 staff with the UN Palestinian refugee agency of taking part in the October 7 massacre by Hamas-led terrorists, who killed 1,200 people and took 253 hostages in the murderous rampage.
Since the allegations became public late last month, UNRWA has seen many of its top donor countries announce funding freezes, leading to concerns that the agency could stop operating in Gaza and elsewhere in the Middle East within weeks.
The IDF also found a large Hamas server farm in tunnels under UNRWA headquarters in Gaza, which the agency says it was not aware of.
