Agencies including Oxfam and Save the Children note Gaza population already facing famine due to Israeli siege and bombardment

International aid agencies have said they are “deeply concerned and outraged” at the “reckless” decision by major donors to cut funding to a UN Palestinian aid agency after Israel accused some of its workers of taking part in Hamas’ 7 October attack.

“We are shocked by the reckless decision to cut a lifeline for an entire population by some of the very countries that had called for aid in Gaza to be stepped up and for humanitarians to be protected while doing their job,” the coalition of 21 agencies, including Oxfam, Save the Children and ActionAid, said in a statement on Monday.

More than 10 western countries including the US, UK and Germany said they would suspend funding to UNRWA, which provides aid to more than 5.6 million Palestinian refugees across the Middle East, after the agency said it had launched a probe into 12 staff members who allegedly took part in abductions and killings on 7 October.

The agency has sacked nine of those accused. Two others are missing and one is dead. The UN in New York has also launched a high-level investigation into the alleged acts, which its secretary general, António Guterres, described as “abhorrent”.

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  • breakfastmtn@lemmy.caOPEnglish
    182·
    10 months ago

    Israel told UNRWA about this two weeks ago:

    According to Israeli and U.N. officials, Israeli diplomats made the accusations about the 12 UNRWA workers at a private meeting in Israel with UNRWA’s leadership nearly two weeks ago. The meeting was held without the knowledge of the senior military and intelligence officers who had overseen the operation that had investigated the 12 workers’ links to the attack, according to three military officials. The foreign ministry declined to comment.

    Days later, UNRWA fired most of the accused workers and notified its key donors, including the United States, whose diplomats swiftly sought clarification about the claims from the Israeli military.

    The military leadership was so surprised that the information had reached U.S. officials that they ordered an internal investigation about how it was disseminated, according to the military officials, who spoke anonymously to discuss a sensitive matter.

    • ShroOmeric@lemmy.worldEnglish
      616·
      10 months ago

      Yeah, they saw that coming and prepared this shit to spread in the newspapers to cover the genocid accusations. Thanks for trying my dear.

      • breakfastmtn@lemmy.caOPEnglish
        124·
        10 months ago

        Israel in cahoots with the UN and UNRWA! Who’da thunk!

        Source for that conspiracy theory?