UN Palestinian refugee agency to halt operations in weeks amid funding cuts

ANKARA (AA) – The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has warned that it will halt its operations within weeks if international funding remains suspended.

“Our operations are likely to come to an end in the next few weeks if funding remains suspended,” UNRWA spokesperson Juliette Touma told Al-Jazeera television.

Several countries have suspended UNRWA funding after Israel alleged that some of the agency’s employees may have been involved in the Hamas cross-border attack on Israel on October 7. Although the number of UNRWA members alleged to have been involved is no more than a dozen and a thorough investigation into the allegations has been launched, several wealthy Western nations have immediately and completely halted funding.

The UN agency, which was established in 1949 to help Palestinian refugees across the Middle East, has assured that it is investigating the allegations thoroughly and impartially.

“More food supplies are needed to avert famine in Gaza and these supplies are with UNRWA,” Touma said.

“Without UNRWA, there’s no supplies, there’s no convoys,” she warned.

Israel launched a deadly offensive on Gaza on October 7, killing at least 27,840 Palestinians and injuring 67,317 others.

The Israeli offensive has left 85% of Gaza’s population internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Amidst the devastation, humanitarian aid continues to remain no more than a trickle, leading to indescribable tragedy and suffering.