Türkiye raises concern as some countries decide to suspend funding to UNRWA

The Turkish Foreign Ministry has raised concerns over recent decisions by certain countries to suspend funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

"Working under very difficult conditions, UNRWA meets the vital needs of millions of Palestine refugees," the statement said on Sunday.

Remarking on the challenging environment in which UNRWA operates, the foreign ministry statement noted that since October 7, over 150 UNRWA personnel have lost their lives in Gaza, underscoring the risks faced by those dedicated to assisting the Palestinian population.

Calling for the countries that have announced the suspension of funding to reconsider their decisions, "The suspension of funding to UNRWA, following allegations against a few UNRWA staff, will primarily harm the Palestinian people," it expressed.

Donor countries suspending funding to UNRWA

The decision to suspend funding to UNRWA comes in the wake of Israeli allegations accusing some UNRWA employees were involved in the October 7 attack.

A number of donor countries, including Australia, Britain, Finland, Germany and Italy on Saturday followed the lead of the United States in suspending additional funding to UNRWA.

Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, warned that the decision to pause funding to UNRWA "overtly defies" the order by the International Court of Justice to allow effective humanitarian assistance" to reach Gaza.

The head of the main UN aid agency in the war-battered Gaza warned that its work is collapsing after nine countries decided to cut funding over allegations that several agency employees had participated in the attack against Israel four months ago.

The agency, which has 13,000 employees in Gaza, most of them Palestinians, is the main organisation aiding Gaza’s population amid the humanitarian disaster.