UN refugee agency calls on EU to provide urgent assistance

The UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said this Monday that it is “vital” to quickly secure new funds from the European Union (EU) as Israel prepares for a ground attack on Rafah, where many civilians have taken refuge.

According to UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazarini, the organization is suffering from allegations that 12 of its 13,000 employees in Gaza were involved in the October 7 Hamas attacks in southern Israel.

UNRWA immediately laid off staff, but more than a dozen countries suspended funding amounting to about $440 million (about 409 million euros), almost half of the organization’s 2024 budget.

Asked about the importance of UNRWA receiving an $88 million (€82 million) payment from the EU by the end of the month, Lazzarini said it was “absolutely critical”, stressing that he had already warned that the agency could be forced to close its doors before Martha.

Two UN investigations into Israel’s allegations are ongoing, but the European Commission – UNRWA’s third-biggest donor after the US and Germany – has called for a separate review and wants to appoint experts to carry it out.

The audit will focus on “the control systems necessary to prevent UNRWA personnel from becoming involved in terrorist activities,” the EU executive said.

The EU is also pushing for a “vetting of all UNRWA personnel” to confirm they were not involved in the attacks.

Of the approximately 13,000 UN agency staff in Gaza, more than 3,000 continue to work there. It would be impossible to figure them all out in a few weeks, and time is of the essence.

The agency was the main supplier of food, water and shelter during the war in Gaza, where about 85% of the population was forced to flee their homes.

Part of the review will include a new “core assessment” of UNRWA.

The European Commission regularly audits the agencies it funds to ensure they comply with EU standards.

But even European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčić admitted today that the UNRWA assessment “has only recently been completed.”

The agency was also included in a review launched by the commission in October, which concluded that no funds were funneled to Hamas.

Lazzarini was in Brussels today to brief EU development policy ministers on the agency’s needs and the allegations against it.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who chaired the meeting, told reporters that “no one else can do what UNRWA does.”

“The presumption of innocence applies to everyone at all times, even UNRWA. It’s no secret that the Israeli government wants to get rid of UNRWA,” Borrell said.

Israel has long accused UNRWA of tolerating or even collaborating with Hamas activities on or near United Nations sites, but has not demanded the agency’s immediate closure.

No one – neither in Israel nor abroad – has proposed an alternative to delivering aid to the besieged population of Gaza.

But over the weekend, the Israeli army said it had discovered tunnels beneath the agency’s main headquarters in Gaza City, alleging Hamas militants were using the site as a power supply facility.

Borrell warned that if UNRWA ceased to function, “the situation will get even worse.”

“Hundreds of thousands of people are fed and eat every day thanks to the work of UNRWA. And this is not only in Gaza, but also in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan,” he concluded.