Israel has sought for years to stop the work of UNRWA and have another UN agency take over its duties (Reuters)

The United Nations Population Fund described the Israeli occupation’s prevention of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) from providing aid to the Palestinians as a “dangerous measure that leads to dire consequences on the humanitarian level in the Gaza Strip.”

The Fund explained on the

He considered that this measure is dangerous and exposes the entire humanitarian system to danger on the one hand, and leads to dire consequences on the humanitarian and legal levels in Gaza on the other hand.

In violation of international laws, Israel restricts the access of humanitarian aid to Gaza, especially by land, causing a scarcity of food, medicine and fuel supplies and a famine that has claimed the lives of children and the elderly in the Strip, which it has besieged for 17 years, and which is inhabited by about 2.3 million Palestinians in catastrophic conditions.

Warnings to UNRWA

Today, UNRWA called for lifting restrictions imposed on the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip to avoid the risk of famine as a result of Israeli attacks.

In a statement, the agency said that “its aid convoys were once again prevented from reaching northern Gaza,” and the statement indicated that preventing aid from reaching northern Gaza “accelerates the risk of famine.”

In a related context, Jonathan Whittall, Chief Humanitarian Affairs Officer at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said that northern Gaza has become a hotbed of famine in the region, stressing the need for food supplies to enter the region urgently.

The Commissioner-General of UNRWA accused Israel of seeking to destroy the agency (French)

Support UNRWA

In a related context, Kuwait announced that it had delivered its annual contribution of $2 million to UNRWA.

Kuwait's announcement comes at a time when the agency stated that it has enough money to manage its operations until the end of next May, after many donors suspended their funding to the agency due to Israel's accusations of the participation of some UNRWA employees in the Al-Aqsa Flood battle, which are accusations that Israel was unable to prove and did not provide any evidence. on her.

France also announced that it intends to contribute 30 million euros this year to support UNRWA activities, on the condition that it performs its mission impartially.

The deputy spokesman for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, "We will advance our contributions by ensuring that the necessary conditions are met to enable UNRWA to carry out its tasks in a spirit free from advocacy of hatred and violence."

Paris gave the agency 60 million euros last year, and the deputy spokesman did not provide a timetable for the next payments.

He pointed out that France welcomed "the statements of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, who said that he is determined to implement the necessary reforms so that UNRWA truly respects the principles of the United Nations and humanitarian principles with the independence, impartiality and integrity necessary for its work."

It is noteworthy that several countries, including Spain, Canada, and Australia, have recently resumed or increased their funding to the agency.

The Commissioner-General of UNRWA accused Israel of seeking to destroy the agency, which employs about 30,000 people in the Palestinian territories, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, where they provide health care, education and other basic services.

Source: Agencies