Trudeau claims no decision yet on funding for UNRWA

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Ottawa had not decided whether it would resume funding to the UN Palestinian refugee agency after Israel provided evidence that some staff were involved in the October 7 Hamas massacre.

Earlier this week, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and Associated Press cited unnamed government sources as saying Canada would reverse its January 26 decision to pause any additional funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

But Trudeau, asked directly today whether this was the case, says Ottawa was waiting for the results of an internal United Nations probe into the Israeli allegations that over a dozen UNRWA staff had been involved in the shock onslaught.

“We’re not making any announcements today… we will continue to look at this situation. We will continue to watch the UN as it looks into what’s happening within this organization,” he tells reporters in Toronto.

A total of 16 donors, including the United States and Britain, have paused their funding to UNRWA.