Brussels – The EU will not stop funding the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). More than a month after the serious Israeli claims against 12 agency employees alleged to be Hamas accomplices in the Oct. 7 attacks, actions taken by the UNRWA to ascertain individual responsibility and strengthen control of the agency have convinced the European Commission to proceed with the payment of 50 million, vital for not cutting off assistance to the people of Gaza. It is the first substantial tranche of planned commitments for 2024, which total 82 million. “The second and third tranches of €16 million will be released in line with the implementation of this agreement,” the European Commission said. The agreement stipulates that – in addition to the investigation initiated by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) and establishing an independent review panel – UNRWA would conduct an audit of the agency conducted by external experts appointed by Brussels. The stubbornness with which UNRWA’s Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said he was ready to revolutionize the agency to ensure a staff review, establish additional oversight mechanisms, and strengthen the internal investigations department did the rest.
As explained by the EU Commissioner for Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi, who pushed for suspending funds to the agency after the news of the alleged involvement of the 12 UNRWA workers in the Hamas attacks, “with today’s decision, the Commission is diversifying its assistance for the innocent Palestinian people in Gaza.” The EU executive has decided to allocate an additional 68 million euros through international partners in the region like the Red Cross and Red Crescent.
The European Commission’s disbursement comes at a time of unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, which each day worsens. A few days ago, UNRWA announced that humanitarian aid entering the Strip was down 50 percent in February compared to January. Confirmed Palestinian casualties since Oct. 7 exceed 30,000, in addition to the thousands missing. Yesterday (Feb. 29), Israel opened fire during the distribution of flour in Gaza City, killing 100 people and wounding 700.
“I am horrified by news of yet another carnage among civilians in Gaza desperate for humanitarian aid.
These deaths are totally unacceptable.
Depriving people of food aid constitutes a serious violation of international humanitarian law,” the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, said in reaction to the incident. While the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said she was “Deeply disturbed by images from Gaza…Humanitarian aid is a lifeline for those in need and access to it must be ensured.”
UNRWA representatives distribute flour in Gaza (Photo by SAID KHATIB / AFP)
UNRWA today launched an appeal signed by 17 leading NGOs — including Save The Children, ActionAid International, and Oxfam– to urge the European Union and Member States not to turn their backs on UNRWA, which supports not only the nearly 2 million internally displaced people in Gaza, but also over 6 million Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, and the occupied territories of the West Bank and has over 13,000 employees in Gaza, of whom 158 killed under Israeli shelling, and 30,000 throughout the Middle East.
The European Commission’s decision not to discontinue support to UNRWA may not be enough if it is true that Lazzarini himself has repeatedly said that without the $450 million in funds blocked by various donors around the world, the agency may not be able to continue its work as early as the end of March. The 50 million euros from Brussels is a breath of fresh air – adding to the increased funds urgently mobilized by some countries such as Belgium and Spain. The hope is that it will serve as an example for member states that have suspended their payments: Austria, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Romania, and Sweden, as well as the United States, Iceland, the United Kingdom, Japan, and Australia.
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
