As of: February 19, 2024, 11:35 a.m
By: Nail Akkoyun
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A United Nations official oversees how Palestinians receive bags of flour at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) distribution center.
(Archive photo) © Mohammed Talatene/dpa
Due to allegations of involvement in the Hamas massacre in Israel, Germany is withholding funding.
Twelve employees have already been laid off.
Berlin - Germany does not want to approve any new funds for the organization for the time being because of the alleged involvement of some employees of the UN Palestinian relief agency UNRWA in the Hamas massacre in Israel.
“Until the clarification is complete, Germany, in coordination with other donor countries, will temporarily not approve any new funds for UNRWA in Gaza,” the Foreign Office and the Development Ministry announced on Saturday evening in Berlin.
In any case, there are currently no new commitments pending, it said.
At the same time, the ministries emphasized that humanitarian aid for the Palestinians was continuing.
A few days ago, funding for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the UN children's fund Unicef was increased by seven million euros.
UNWRA is vital for the basic needs of the Palestinian population.
It was “absolutely right” that UNRWA acted immediately in light of the allegations against staff and that Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini “took immediate action”.
Germany paid for humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip: more than 200 million euros in 2023
Since October 7, humanitarian aid provided through UNRWA and development cooperation funds have been used to finance basic supplies such as water, food, emergency shelter, hygiene and sanitation as well as medical supplies for the people in the Gaza Strip and especially for the families who have fled to the south of the region , it continued.
According to its own information, the federal government supported the UN relief organization UNRWA with more than 200 million euros in 2023 alone.
Other Western countries are also important donors to UNRWA.
Israel had provided the aid organization with information that twelve of the organization's several thousand employees in the Gaza Strip were said to have been involved in the bloodbath.
They were immediately released.
Lazzarini and UN Secretary-General António Guterres were horrified and threatened those affected with criminal consequences.
In the attacks on October 7, terrorists from Hamas and other extremist Palestinian groups murdered more than 1,200 people in Israel.
Israel responded with massive air strikes and a ground offensive.
According to Palestinian figures, more than 26,000 people were killed as a result.
(nak/dpa)