Sweden resumes funding for UNRWA

STOCKHOLM, March 09 (YPA) – Sweden said on Saturday that it would resume suspended payments to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) with a grant of 200 million kroner ($20 million).

Several countries, including the United States and Britain, have stopped their funding for UNRWA after accusations from Israel that 12 of the agency’s 13,000 employees in Gaza participated in the Al-Aqsa Flood operation, which was carried out by Hamas in territories occupied by Israel on October 7, 2023.

The Swedish government said that it resumed funding after UNRWA agreed to strengthen internal controls and conduct additional checks on its employees, among other measures.

On Friday, Canada decided to resume funding for UNRWA, as Canadian International Aid Minister Ahmed Hussein said in a statement that Ottawa would resume funding for the Agency but he did not specify a time frame.

YPA