The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has warned that its work would collapse after nine countries—the United States, the UK, Italy, Germany, Finland, Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, and Switzerland—decided to cut funding over allegations that some of its employees participated in the deadly Hamas attack against Israel on October 7, 2023.
UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said that he was shocked that such decisions were taken while "famine looms" in the aftermath of the war between Israel and Hamas.
"Palestinians in Gaza did not need this additional collective punishment," he wrote on X. formerly Twitter. "This stains all of us."
According to the Associated Press, his warning came a day after he announced that he fired several employees over allegations they participated in the Hamas attack and initiated investigations about the matter.
The UNRWA has 13,000 employees in Gaza, most of them Palestinians, and is the main group aiding a majority of Gaza's population in the midst of humanitarian disasters.
Top Palestinian and Hamas officials also criticized the decision by some countries after the allegations came to light.
Read Also: UN High Court Orders Israel to 'Take All Measures' to Prevent Genocide in Gaza
Israel Pushes Back ICJ's Initial Ruling
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the preliminary ruling released by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Friday (Jan. 26) to limit the death and destruction in the country's Gaza offensive, declaring that they "decide and act according to what is required for [its] security."
After the ICJ ruling, Israeli airstrikes allegedly killed three Palestinians in its bid to target a Hamas commander.
On the other hand, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz has a simple message to Lazzarini on X: "[P]lease resign."
Related Article: U.S. Halts UN Funds Over Allegations Staff Involved in Oct. 7
