Kaag's statements came after a closed session held yesterday evening, Tuesday, in the Security Council to discuss the latest developments in the Gaza Strip (Reuters)

Sigrid Kaag, Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator in Gaza, stated that no body can replace the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the Gaza Strip.

This came in a statement to reporters after a closed session held yesterday evening, Tuesday, in the Security Council, to discuss the latest developments in the Gaza Strip.

Kaag explained that the main issues discussed in the session related to providing means of transporting aid to Gaza, and providing an appropriate environment for distribution operations.

She added that no other organization can take the place of UNRWA, as it has enormous capabilities, capabilities and structure, and also possesses great knowledge of Gaza society.

UNRWA was established by a resolution of the United Nations General Assembly in 1949, and was mandated to provide assistance and protection to refugees in 5 regions: Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. Its work aims to reach a just solution to the refugee problem.

UNRWA funding

Since January 26, 18 countries and the European Union have taken a decision to suspend their funding to UNRWA, based on Israel’s allegations that 12 employees of the agency participated in the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation carried out by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on October 7, 2023, against Israeli military bases and settlements around the Gaza Strip.

According to the United Nations, the countries that decided to suspend their funding to UNRWA until yesterday evening; They are: the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, Italy, Britain, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Austria, Sweden, New Zealand, Iceland, Romania, Estonia, and the European Union.

On the other hand, Spain, Ireland and Norway announced that they would not cut aid, but expressed their willingness to support an investigation into Israel's allegations.

The Western countries' announcements came hours after the International Court of Justice in The Hague rejected Israel's demands to drop the genocide lawsuit in Gaza, which South Africa filed against it, and issued a temporary decision requiring Israel to take measures to stop the genocide and bring in humanitarian aid within a month.

Last Friday, UNRWA announced the opening of an investigation into allegations indicating the involvement of an unspecified number of its employees in the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation.

The Israeli accusations against the agency are not the first of their kind. Since the beginning of the aggression on Gaza, Israel has accused the agency’s employees of working for the benefit of the Hamas movement. According to observers, this accusation is a prior justification for targeting UNRWA schools and facilities in the Gaza Strip, which host tens of thousands of displaced people, most of whom are children and women.

Since the seventh of last October, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza, which, as of yesterday, Tuesday, resulted in the death of 26,751 Palestinians and the injury of 65,636 others, most of them children and women. The aggression also caused massive destruction of infrastructure, leaving an “unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe,” according to Palestinian and international reports.

Source: Anadolu Agency