Humanitarian Coordinator in Gaza: No organization can replace “UNRWA”

NEW YORK, Jan. 31 (YPA) – The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in the Gaza Strip, Sigrid Kaag, stated that no organization can replace the UNRWA agency, of which Israel recently accused a number of its employees of involvement in the October 7 attack.

Kaag said on Tuesday: “No organization can ever replace the enormous potential and fabric of UNRWA (the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees) and its knowledge of the people of Gaza.”

Earlier, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz called on more countries to suspend funding for UNRWA, saying that it must be replaced once the fighting in the Strip ends, accusing the agency of having links with militants in Gaza.

On Saturday, major donor countries to UNRWA announced the suspension of their funding following Israeli allegations that employees of the UN agency participated in the October 7 attack. Among these countries are the United States of America, Australia, Italy, Canada, Finland, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, and Britain.

UNRWA responded by dismissing a number of its employees due to the Israeli accusations and pledging to conduct a comprehensive investigation.

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized what it described as an Israeli campaign against UNRWA, and Hamas denounced the termination of employee contracts “based on information derived from Tel Aviv.”

UNRWA, which was established to help refugees since the 1948 war that accompanied the establishment of Israel, provides educational and health services and assistance to Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon. The agency also helps about two-thirds of the Gaza Strip’s population of 2.3 million people and has a pivotal role in providing aid during the ongoing war.

YPA