NGOs and others call for withdrawal of suspension of funding to UNRWA by countries including Japan. An employee of a United Nations agency working in the Gaza Strip in Palestine is suspected of being involved in an attack on Israel by the Islamic organization Hamas.
On January 28, the Japanese government temporarily suspended additional funding, saying it was "extremely concerned" over the suspicion that several staff members of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees were involved in attacks by Hamas on Israel. In response to this suspicion, countries such as the United States and Germany have announced that they will temporarily suspend funding, but Norway has announced that it will continue providing support.