Sweden and Canada will resume UNRWA funding
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Sweden and Canada announced that they will resume funding of the United Nations Middle East Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). The BBC writes about it.
Earlier, 16 countries, including Sweden and Canada, suspended funding to the agency after Israel accused at least 12 UNRWA employees of involvement in the October 7 attack by the radical group Hamas on Israel. The group is recognized as terrorist in the USA and the EU.
The UN is investigating the accused, and the French foreign minister is leading the investigation.
On Saturday, Sweden said it would send 200 million Swedish kroner ($19 million) to UNRWA as the agency agreed to conduct additional audits of its spending and personnel. In total, according to reports, the Swedish government allocated 400 million Swedish kroner (more than 38 million dollars) to UNRWA for 2024.
On Friday, Canada announced the resumption of funding for UNRWA while the investigation into the agency’s employees continues.
UNRWA is the largest UN agency operating in the Gaza Strip. It provides assistance in the field of health care, education and other humanitarian assistance. About 13 thousand people work in it.
- During the attack by Hamas militants on Israel on October 7, more than 1,200 Israelis were killed, the vast majority of them civilians. About 240 people, including citizens of many states, were taken hostage.
- Israel responded by launching a ground operation in Gaza. The Ministry of Health of the Gaza Strip, controlled by the Hamas group, says that more than 30 thousand people have died since the beginning of the operation. According to the Ministry of Health, the amount of aid provided to the civilian population in the Gaza Strip has sharply decreased.
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