‘Absolutely Critical’: EU Releases €50M In UNRWA Funding Amid Gaza Famine Fear

A Palestinian man carries sacks of flour at a United Nations food distribution center in Al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, Gaza, 15 January 2018. (Photo by: Wissam Nassar/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)

The European Commission said it will resume funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) amid reports that over 560,000 Gazans are “facing catastrophic levels of deprivation and starvation.”

The European Commission said in a statement Friday it would pay out a first tranche of €50 million of the €82 million originally agreed for UNWRA by the end of February, with two further potential donations of €16 million to follow. It set out three conditions for further aid transfers to UNRWA, including an audit into staff involvement in terrorist activities and a review to confirm their non-participation in the October 7 attacks.

The move comes just days after World Food Programme (WFP) deputy executive director Carl Skau warned the United Nations that “famine is imminent” in northern Gaza. Philippe Lazzarini, the head of UNRWA, told Brussels last month that the organisation’s essential humanitarian mission in Gaza would not be able to continue if funds remained suspended.

Responding to the commission’s announcement Lazzarini said the immediate disbursement of €50 million was “absolutely critical” in supporting the agency in delivering “lifesaving and essential services” to Palestinian refugees.

The commission also announced an increase in overall aid allocated to Palestinians in the region by €68 million this year. This additional funding will be shared among other international partners like the Red Cross and Red Crescent.

The decision to pause donations came after Israel accused 12 of UNRWA staff members of involvement in Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7. In response several major donors, including the United States and Britain, suspended payments to the agency.

The allegations were outlined in a six-page Israeli intelligence dossier but several major news organisations, including Channel 4, Sky News and France24, said the document provided no concrete evidence for the claims.

Nevertheless, UNWRA “preemptively” dismissed the accused staff and the UN launched an investigation into the allegations as well as a review of the agency’s neutrality.