Aid organizations criticized Finland and a dozen other countries for suspending funding for the UN organization UNRWA, which helps Palestinian refugees.
On Tuesday, several aid organizations strongly condemned the decision of many Western countries, including Finland, to freeze the funding of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
Secretary General of the UN Antonio Guterres was preparing to meet representatives of several countries in New York on Tuesday to discuss the emergency aid crisis.
The joint statement of more than twenty aid organizations included Oxfam and Save the Children, among others.
– Freezing funding will affect the vital aid of more than two million people. More than half of them are children. The population is at risk of famine and disease due to Israel’s continued indiscriminate bombing of Gaza and deliberate deprivation of aid, the organizations said in a joint statement.
Twelve countries have suspended their aid to the organization after Israel claimed that at least 12 of the organization’s employees were involved in a terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel in October.
According to the organizations, more than 150 UNRWA workers have been killed and 145 UN-maintained buildings have been damaged by Israeli bombardment.
– If the funding freezes are not canceled, the humanitarian aid system in Gaza, which is already seriously compromised, may collapse completely, the organizations warned.
The Finnish UN Federation also appeals
The Finnish UN Federation also hoped that Finland would continue funding the UN’s Palestinian refugee organization UNRWA as soon as possible and promote humanitarian aid reaching the Gaza Strip.
The Finnish UN Federation says in a press release that it understands Finland’s decision. According to it, however, there is no reason to condemn and punish the entire organization for possible acts of terrorism by individual employees, but the accused should bear their responsibility in court.
– It is wrong to condemn the Palestinians to despair and starvation in Gaza and beyond, says the Executive Director of the Finnish UN Association Helena Laukko in the bulletin.
Palestinians driven from their homes in the southern part of Gaza told the news agency AFP that the organization’s help is vital for them.
– We live with the help of UNRWA. If it ends, we will starve to death, crystallized Sabah Musabih50, in Rafah.
Sweden and Canada donate money to other organizations
On Tuesday, Sweden also said it would stop supporting UNRWA.
According to the country’s Ministry of Development Aid, the 31 million kroner (2.7 million euros) intended for UNRWA will be given to other aid organizations.
Canada, which already announced the suspension of support last week, also said on Tuesday that it intends to direct more funds to other international aid organizations operating in Gaza.
Norway and Ireland, on the other hand, have said that they will continue to support UNRWA despite the Hamas accusations.
– While I share the concern about the serious allegations against some UNRWA workers, I urge other donor countries to think about the wider consequences of cutting UNRWA support at a time of extreme humanitarian distress. We should not collectively punish millions of people, Norway’s foreign minister Espen Barth Eide said on Sunday in the bulletin.