Following Israel's accusations that multiple staff members were involved in Hamas' October 7 attack, Australia and Canada have stopped funding the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
The claims made against UNRWA had Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong expressing her "deep concern" on Saturday.
“We are speaking with partners and will temporarily pause disbursement of recent funding,” she wrote on social media platform X.
“We welcome UNRWA’s immediate response, including terminating contracts and launching an investigation, as well as its recent announcement of a full investigation into allegations against the organization,” she added.
Palestinian militant group Hamas on Saturday meanwhile slammed Israeli “threats” against the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
“We ask the UN and the international organizations to not cave into the threats and blackmail” from Israel, Hamas’s press office said in a post on Telegram.
Canada’s International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen on Friday announced that Ottawa had “temporarily paused any additional funding to UNRWA while it undertakes a thorough investigation into these allegations.”
“Canada is taking these reports extremely seriously and is engaging closely with UNRWA and other donors on this issue,” he wrote on X.
“Should the allegations prove to be accurate, Canada expects UNRWA to immediately act against those determined to have been involved in Hamas’s terrorist attacks.”
The moves come after the United States halted its funding to UNRWA on Friday, saying the allegations were against 12 employees who “may have been involved” in the Hamas attack that triggered the war in Gaza.
The claims made against UNRWA had Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong expressing her "deep concern" on Saturday.
“We are speaking with partners and will temporarily pause disbursement of recent funding,” she wrote on social media platform X.
“We welcome UNRWA’s immediate response, including terminating contracts and launching an investigation, as well as its recent announcement of a full investigation into allegations against the organization,” she added.
Palestinian militant group Hamas on Saturday meanwhile slammed Israeli “threats” against the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
“We ask the UN and the international organizations to not cave into the threats and blackmail” from Israel, Hamas’s press office said in a post on Telegram.
Canada’s International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen on Friday announced that Ottawa had “temporarily paused any additional funding to UNRWA while it undertakes a thorough investigation into these allegations.”
“Canada is taking these reports extremely seriously and is engaging closely with UNRWA and other donors on this issue,” he wrote on X.
“Should the allegations prove to be accurate, Canada expects UNRWA to immediately act against those determined to have been involved in Hamas’s terrorist attacks.”
The moves come after the United States halted its funding to UNRWA on Friday, saying the allegations were against 12 employees who “may have been involved” in the Hamas attack that triggered the war in Gaza.
