UNRWA funding halt ‘catastrophic’ for Gaza, say UN agencies

Cutting off funding to the United Nations’ Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA will have “catastrophic consequences” for Gaza, the heads of multiple UN bodies say in a joint statement.

“Withdrawing funds from UNRWA is perilous and would result in the collapse of the humanitarian system in Gaza, with far-reaching humanitarian and human rights consequences in the occupied Palestinian territory and across the region,” said the statement from the heads of the organizations that form the UN Inter-Agency Standing Committee.

UNRWA is facing funding cuts from a host of countries including the US, Canada, Japan, France, and Germany, pending an investigation into Israeli intelligence finding that 12 of its employees took part in the October 7 massacre and hundreds more are terror operatives or have close ties to Hamas members.