As of: February 7, 2024, 1:26 p.m
By: Stephanie Munk
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The UN aid agency in the Gaza Strip is criticized for its contacts with Hamas.
An expert warns against stopping payments – also for strategic reasons.
Gaza – How should the international community deal with the UN relief agency in Gaza?
On the one hand, at least twelve aid agency employees were probably involved in the atrocities against Israeli civilians on October 7th.
On the other hand, since the war in Israel and the Gaza Strip, hardship, hunger and desperation have been growing every day.
The people there are more dependent on help than ever.
However, the largest donors to the UN Relief and Works Agency for the Palestinians (UNRWA) stopped their payments to the agency when the involvement with the Hamas murders emerged.
Germany and the USA suspended a total of more than 400 million euros in payments.
UNRWA warned a few days ago that all work might have to be stopped in four weeks.
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip wait for food to be distributed by volunteers.
© Omar Ashtawy/Imago
Middle East expert also believes payments to UNRWA are strategically necessary
Middle East expert Dr.
Andreas Böhm from the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland believes that stopping payments is the wrong approach: “UNRWA is the only organization in a position to at least partially alleviate the distress,” explained Böhm in a statement
to
fr.de
IPPEN.MEDIA
.
The humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip, caused by the war in Israel launched by Hamas, is in danger of reaching “genocidal proportions”.
The International Court of Justice has already warned about this.
But cutting off funds to the UN relief organization would not only make sense for “humanitarian reasons, but also for strategic reasons,” Böhm told our editorial team.
Only if the distress is alleviated could the region have “a prospect of peace”.
According to Böhm, this is not the first time that UNRWA has been “caught in the crossfire.”
The fact that it has now emerged that UN employees are also involved in Hamas' terror is not surprising given the conditions in the Gaza Strip, said the Middle East expert.
“Since Hamas dominates the political institutions in Gaza, contacts are inevitable,” he notes.
“But there can hardly be any question of systematic infiltration of UNRWA.” Tens of thousands of Palestinians are employed by UNRWA.
Middle East expert Dr.
Andreas Böhm from the University of St. Gallen.
© Private
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Payments to UNRWA in the Gaza Strip: Spain takes a special approach
Spain is also taking a different approach than most countries: it is continuing to support the aid organization.
The Spanish foreign minister announced on Monday (February 5) a special payment of 3.5 million euros for the United Nations refugee agency.
This should enable this “indispensable organization” to maintain its activities in the short term.
The situation in the Gaza Strip is “desperate,” emphasized the Spanish minister
.
UN aid agency involved in Hamas terror?
Investigation is ongoing
An investigation by independent experts from Sweden, Norway and Denmark is currently underway into UNRWA's involvement in Hamas' terrorist acts on October 7th.
It is headed by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna.
UNRWA expects a preliminary report by early March.
The donor countries will then probably review their decisions.
In the USA, not only were regular payments to UNRWA temporarily suspended, but there was also a bitter dispute in Congress over aid for Ukraine.
The US Senate presents a new draft for Ukraine aid and border security.
Donald Trump comments on the package – and clearly.
(smu)