Britain, Italy, and Finland have joined other countries in temporarily pausing funding for the United Nations’ refugee agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) amid allegations that its staff were involved in the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, Reuters reports.
The decision follows previous pauses by the United States, Australia, and Canada after Israel claimed that 12 UNRWA employees were linked to the cross-border attack. UNRWA has initiated an investigation into these allegations and severed ties with several employees.
The Palestinian foreign ministry criticized what it described as an Israeli campaign against UNRWA, while the Hamas militant group condemned the termination of employee contracts based on information from Israel.
The head of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) urged countries to reverse their decisions, emphasizing the political and relief risks associated with cutting support for UNRWA.
