UK will resume funding UNRWA, the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees, the foreign secretary announced on July 20, as per a BBC report. David Lammy told MPs he had received reassurances about its neutrality in the wake of a review of alleged links between its staff and terror groups.
Investigation underway
The UK was among 16 Western countries to halt donations in January, after Israel alleged 12 UNRWA staff were involved in the October 2023 attacks by Hamas. An internal UN investigation into allegations related to that attack is ongoing. But a separate UN review, published in April, found Israel had not provided evidence for its claims hundreds of UNRWA staff were members of terror groups. The review, by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, found Israel had “yet to provide supporting evidence” for its claims that a “significant number of UNRWA employees are members of terrorist organizations”.
Israel has said more than 2,135 employees of the agency – out of a total of 13,000 in Gaza – are members of Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad, proscribed as terrorist organisations by Israel, the UK, US and other countries. However, the review concluded the agency must do more to improve its neutrality, staff vetting and transparency.
Israeli authorities suggest the report ignores the severity of the problem, and claim UNRWA has systematic links with Hamas. Israel initially alleged that 12 UNRWA staff took part in the Hamas attacks on southern Israel, which saw 1,200 people killed and about 250 taken hostage.
