(New York Times) Victoria Kim - Canada and Sweden are resuming funding for UNRWA, the UN agency supporting Palestinian refugees in Gaza. The countries were among more than a dozen that suspended payments to UNRWA after accusations in January by Israel that its employees in Gaza had been involved in the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attacks on Israel or their aftermath. Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was "a serious mistake" for the two countries to restart financing the agency. "It constitutes tacit consent and encouragement on the part of the governments of Canada and Sweden to continue to ignore the involvement of UNRWA employees in terrorist activity." Israel has claimed that at least 10% of UNRWA's staff in Gaza is affiliated with Palestinian armed groups. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for UNRWA to be closed and replaced "with responsible international aid agencies."
2024-03-10 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive