UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to be prevented from being disrupted as several countries refuse to continue funding over reports that some of its staff may have been involved in fighting against Israel.

“UNRWA's critical assistance depends on the continued survival of 2 million civilians in the Gaza Strip, but current funding will not allow UNRWA to provide everything it needs to support them in February. "I urge the states that have suspended their contributions (while I understand their concerns - I myself am horrified by these accusations) to at least guarantee the continuity of UNRWA activities," Guterres said in a statement.

According to the UN Secretary-General, tens of thousands of people working for UNRWA, many of whom operate in dangerous conditions for humanitarian workers, should not be punished.

“People in desperate situations need to be provided with what they so desperately need,” Guterres stressed.

He also said that the organization will study the charges brought against UNRWA employees, and any UN employee involved in terrorist acts will be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution.

Israeli charges

Earlier, a number of Western media outlets circulated reports that 12 UNRWA employees could allegedly be involved in the attack of the radical Hamas movement on Israel on October 7, 2023. Then the militants invaded the southern regions of Israel, attacked several military installations and civilian settlements, and carried out massive shelling of the country. In response, Tel Aviv launched a military operation in the Gaza Strip.

  • Palestinians outside UNRWA headquarters in Gaza

  • AFP

  • © SAID KHATIB

On January 26, UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said he had received information from Israel about the alleged involvement of several agency employees in the October 7 attack. According to him, the contracts of these employees were immediately terminated and an investigation was launched. On the same day, the American portal Axios, citing a source in the Israeli government, stated that the country’s counterintelligence and the IDF sent information to the organization that its employees allegedly actively participated in the events of October 7, using vehicles and agency facilities.

In addition, the Israeli newspaper The Times of Israel reported that Tel Aviv provided the United States with information including the names of UNRWA employees and “clear evidence” of their involvement in the events of October 7. At the same time, according to Israeli journalists, several UNRWA employees were killed on Israeli territory on the day of the attack.

After the publication of this information, a number of countries announced the suspension of funding to the UN agency. The United States was the first to do this, then Great Britain, Canada, Australia, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Finland made similar statements.

On January 28, they were joined by Germany, which, along with the United States, was one of the largest donors to UNRWA. Washington and Berlin provided about half of the $1.1 billion the agency collected in 2022, according to The Times of Israel.

However, Tel Aviv does not intend to stop only at stopping international funding for UNRWA. On January 27, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said that he would seek the termination of the agency and an investigation into its activities, after which he called on UNRWA Commissioner General Philip Lazzarini to resign.

The functionary himself called the countries’ decision to suspend funding for the organization because of Israel’s accusations shocking.

“It is outrageous that funding for this agency was suspended in response to allegations made against a small number of staff, when UNRWA immediately took action by terminating the contracts of these individuals and requesting a transparent and independent investigation,” Lazzarini said in a statement published on the official website organizations.

  • UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini

  • Gettyimages.ru

  • © Mostafa Alkharouf / Anadolu

Lazzarini added that amid the worsening crisis in Gaza, the organization must continue its work.

“It would be extremely irresponsible to sanction an agency and anyone it helps based on allegations of criminal conduct that have been made against a number of individuals, especially when the region is experiencing war, displacement and political crises,” he said. head of UNRWA.

Continued support 

Experts interviewed by RT note that Tel Aviv’s accusations against UNRWA and, in fact, the immediate refusal of several countries to finance the UN structure followed on the same day as the International Court of Justice in The Hague, on January 26, issued an interim decision on the claim of South Africa in connection with alleged violations Israel to the UN Convention on the Prevention of Genocide in the Gaza Strip.

The court's decision said Israel must take all measures to prevent genocide in the enclave. Despite the fact that the interim decision of the UN ICJ is not binding, Tel Aviv took this process very painfully, regarding it as a blow to its reputation, said leading researcher at the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Historical Sciences Boris Dolgov.

“Such decisions create an appropriate information situation around Israel and form a certain opinion on the part of the international community in relation to its actions. The accusations brought by the Israeli side against UNRWA are to a certain extent related to this decision of the International Court of Justice,” the expert believes.

  • UNRWA site in Gaza

  • AP

  • © Khalil Hamra

The cessation of funding for UNRWA by its largest donors at the height of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza will hit the Palestinians even harder, Dolgov added.

“This is another action on the part of Tel Aviv directed against the Palestinians. Before making such accusations against a UN agency, they should have been thoroughly checked, and more than once. If some Palestinian employees of the organization were associated with Hamas, this does not mean that they directly participated in the events of October 7,” the political scientist emphasized.

Moreover, the tragic events of October 7 are based on Tel Aviv’s consistent refusal to implement a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli issue, Dolgov believes.

“Everyone knows that this situation has reached a dead end, turning into a vicious circle. And until the UN decision to create a Palestinian state is implemented, the conflict will continue,” the political scientist said.

At the same time, Israel, with its indiscriminate attacks on Gaza, which killed many civilians, has already hopelessly tarnished its international reputation, Dolgov stated.

“There have been demonstrations all over the world condemning Israel’s actions. In response, Tel Aviv took the path of propaganda. This is what we are now seeing with the latest allegations against UNRWA. However, anti-Israeli sentiment will intensify. Its position in the international community is deteriorating, despite the fact that the forces represented by the United States and its allies support Israel,” noted RT’s interlocutor.

Vadim Kozyulin, head of the Center for Global Studies and International Relations of the IAMP of the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry, also believes that the story with UNRWA was a kind of Israeli response to the decision of the International Court of Justice.

“Today, wars are fought not only on the ground, but also in the information space. When one news becomes dominant, and the victory of South Africa with its claim in the International Court is, of course, serious news, then some kind of counter-news is required from the Israeli side. And this news was the indictment of UNRWA employees. This is part of an information campaign against the UN,” the expert said.

In his opinion, before making decisions to stop funding the UN agency, everyone involved should have verified the truth of the accusations.

“Any statements of this kind require confirmation. We still need to figure it out. This is precisely what the UN leadership advocates. This is a very reasonable, reasonable position. Those countries that today, on the basis of unreliable and unproven allegations, deny humanitarian assistance to those in need, will subsequently, of course, feel guilty that they bought into it. After all, humanitarian aid is being denied to people who are really suffering today, and there are hundreds of thousands of them,” he emphasized.

Israel conducts such campaigns because it feels supported by the United States, added Vadim Kozyulin.

“Israel is in a privileged position - it always enjoys the support of the United States. And the United States can push through any decision, which, in fact, is what is happening. Without Washington’s support, Israel, of course, would feel very weak in the face of the kind of public pressure that we see today and which continues to expand throughout the world,” the expert concluded.