UNRWA warns operations will be shut down by end of February without funding
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East warned Thursday that it "will most likely be forced to shut down" its operations in the war-torn Gaza Strip and the wider region "by the end of February" if funding does not resume.
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Sixteen donor countries, including the United States, have suspended financial support to the U.N. agency over Israel's allegations that 13 UNRWA staff members were involved in the Hamas-led Oct. 7 terror attack. UNRWA said it is investigating the accusations and that "full accountability and transparency are expected out of this process, should the allegations be substantiated."
"As the war in Gaza is being pursued unabated, and at the time the International Court of Justice calls for more humanitarian assistance, it is the time to reinforce and not to weaken UNRWA. The Agency remains the largest aid organization in one of the most severe and complex humanitarian crises in the world," UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement Thursday. "I echo the call of the U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres to resume funding to UNRWA. If the funding remains suspended, we will most likely be forced to shut down our operations by end of February not only in Gaza but also across the region."
-ABC News' Morgan Winsor