In a significant development, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced that Australia is set to renew its financial assistance to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
This decision marks the end of a nearly two-month hiatus, initially prompted by allegations that some agency staff were involved in a Hamas attack on October 7.
Wong mentioned that following detailed discussions with UNRWA and consultations with other donor countries, Australia has received satisfactory additional assurances from the agency. As a result, an immediate disbursement of about 6 million Australian dollars (about 3.9 million US dollars) will be made to UNRWA.
Wong emphasized the critical need to support the families and children facing dire hunger, noting Australia’s role alongside the global community in providing the necessary aid. She affirmed the pivotal role of UNRWA in facilitating this assistance.
The temporary halt in funding from Australia and over a dozen other nations came in the wake of accusations by Israel in January.
Israel alleged that 12 out of 13,000 UNRWA employees in Gaza participated in the Hamas attack on October 7. Following these accusations, the United Nations launched an investigation, leading to the termination of several staff contracts based on the evidence provided by Israel.
Countries such as Sweden, Canada, and the European Union have already resumed their funding to some extent.
Last week, the UNRWA Commissioner-General expressed a guarded optimism that other donor nations would soon restart their contributions, highlighting the critical role of UNRWA in providing humanitarian aid in the region.
