GENEVA: The head of the main UN Palestinian relief agency, UNRWA, is visiting three Gulf states this week to drum up support after donors suspended funding following Israeli allegations that some of the agency’s staff were involved in the Oct. 7 attack.
Some 15 of its most important donors, including the United States, have suspended funding after Israel alleged 12 of the agency’s 13,000 staff were involved in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks in southern Israel.
UNRWA warned last week that it might be forced to shut down its operations by the end of February if funding does not resume.
U.N Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has previously said nine of those implicated had been fired, one was dead and the identities of the other two were being clarified.
Guterres announced on Monday that an independent review of UNRWA’s ability to ensure neutrality and respond to allegations of breaches would be led by former French foreign minister Catherine Colonna.
Colonna will work with the Raoul Wallenberg Institute in Sweden, the Chr. Michelsen Institute in Norway, and the Danish Institute for Human Rights, submitting an interim report by late March and a final report by late April that will be made public.
Guterres said the independent external review will take place alongside an investigation currently underway by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services. “The cooperation of the Israeli authorities, who made these allegations, will be critical to the success of the investigation,” Guterres said in a statement.
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.