UNRWA chief visiting UAE, Qatar, Kuwait to drum up support after donors freeze funding

The head of UNRWA is visiting three Gulf states this week, seeking to drum up support after key donors suspended funding following Israeli allegations that a number of its staff were involved in Hamas’s October 7 onslaught.

Some 15 of the agency’s most important donors, including the United States, have suspended funding over Israel’s allegations involving 12 of its 13,000 staff, prompting UNRWA to warn last week that it might be forced to shut down by the end of this month.

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini writes on X that he met with UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan today to discuss UNRWA’s work in “preserving the stability in the region” and delivering aid to two million people in Gaza.

Spokesperson Juliette Touma tells Reuters that Lazzarini will then visit Qatar and Kuwait later this week.