Is humanitarian aid to Gaza in danger?
This is what Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations, fears.
He asked the countries which have suspended their financial aid to UNRWA to
“at least guarantee”
the continuation of operations this Sunday, January 28.
The United States, Italy, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Finland and Germany have in fact suspended all additional aid to the humanitarian agency.
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This decision comes after a scandal broke out within UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
She dismissed several employees accused of being involved in the attack perpetrated on October 7 by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in Israel, based on information from Israeli authorities.
Le Figaro
takes stock of this controversy.
What is Unrwa?
UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) is a UN agency intended to provide assistance to Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip.
But also in the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
It was created in December 1949 by the UN General Assembly after the first Arab-Israeli conflict which broke out the day after the creation of Israel in May 1948.
Its actions are multiple: it must provide humanitarian assistance and protection to Palestinian refugees,
“while awaiting a just and lasting solution to their situation”
.
According to the agency, refugee status is granted to descendants of the 700,000 Palestinians expelled, or who fled between April and August 1948 when Israel was created.
UNRWA has since become, and by default, the sole guarantor of their international status.
To date, 5.9 million Palestinian refugees can benefit from its services, details the agency on its website.
And of the 30,000 people employed, 13,000 work in the Gaza Strip, spread across more than 300 installations across the territory, according to the same source.
Two million civilians in Gaza
“depend on critical aid from UNRWA for their daily survival”
, underlined Antonio Guterres.
Also read Hamas-Israel War: the one-week truce in Gaza, a useful, but insufficient, humanitarian break
Why is she at the heart of a controversy?
Members of the agency are suspected of having participated in the organization of the October 7 massacre in Israel.
Unrwa has in fact separated from twelve employees accused of being involved in the Hamas attack.
“Extremely serious”
accusations
, underlined Antonio Guterres in a press release.
Unrwa has separated from nine of them, one is
“confirmed dead”
, and the identities of two others are
“in the process of being clarified”
, he said.
The case came to light on Friday, just after the UN's highest court called on Israel to prevent any possible act of
"genocide"
in Gaza.
This temporality
“questions”
, notes Johann Soufi, international lawyer and former director of the UNRWA legal office in Gaza, to AFP.
These accusations were quickly taken up politically by Israel.
The Hebrew State wants to ensure that UNRWA
“is not part”
of the post-war solution in the Palestinian territory, indicated the Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs, calling for favoring agencies
“sincerely dedicated to peace and development
.
By contributing to the weakening and disappearance of UNRWA, Israel has a very specific objective: to re-educate the Palestinians.
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said the time had come to
"create an alternative that will not educate generations of Palestinians to hate
. "
Hamas, for its part, asked
“the United Nations and international organizations not to give in to threats and blackmail
,” accusing Israel of wanting to deprive Gazans of all international aid.
On Friday, the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell remained cautious, preferring to wait for
“full transparency”
and
“immediate measures”
before making a decision.
Read alsoIn Gaza, the French Institute is the object of Israeli desire
Which countries have suspended their aid?
After the revelation of the dismissal of UNRWA employees, several countries took the decision to suspend their financial aid.
Italy, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Finland and Germany followed in the footsteps of the United States, which announced on Friday that it was temporarily suspending any additional aid to the agency, now asked to carry out a thorough internal investigation.
Its head Philippe Lazzarini found it
“shocking to see the suspension of funds in reaction to allegations against a small group of employees”
, given the measures already taken and the role of the agency on which
“2 million people depend for their simple survival
.
“Philippe Lazzarini, please resign
,” replied the head of Israeli diplomacy, Israel Katz, on the social network X on Saturday evening.
The Minister of Civil Affairs of the Palestinian Authority, Hussein al-Sheikh, for his part called on countries withdrawing their support for UNRWA to
“immediately reverse their decision”
.
The agency, he insisted,
“needs maximum support (...) and not that support and assistance be cut off”
.
Also read: In Gaza, these “citizen journalists” who are trying to break the media blockade
Antonio Guterres also expressed concern for the fate of the Palestinians.
“While I understand their concerns – I myself was horrified by these accusations – I strongly urge the governments that have suspended their contributions to at least guarantee the continuity of UNRWA operations
,” argued Antonio Guterres in a statement.
“UNRWA’s current funding will not allow it to meet all needs in February
,” he insisted.
As a reminder, UNRWA is financed to the tune of several million dollars, mainly from donor countries.
The United States topped this list in 2018. And a small portion of the funds come directly from the United Nations.