PHILIPPE LAZZARINI, UNRWA COMMISSIONER GENERAL  has issued a statement following the announcement that some countries will no longer fund aid to Gaza. Yesterday The Orkney News reported on the decision by the World Court, ICJ, which included this :

The Court further considers that Israel must take immediate and effective measures to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance to address the adverse conditions of life faced by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Following the ICJ decision 9 countries suspended their aid to UNRWA ( the United Nations  Relief and Works Agency) after the State of Israel made allegations that some UNRWA staff had taken part in the October 7th attacks.

The statement released by Philippe Lazzarini in full:

AMMAN, 27 January 2024- “Nine countries have as of today temporarily suspended their funding to UNRWA. These decisions threaten our ongoing humanitarian work across the region including and especially in the Gaza Strip.   

“It is shocking to see a suspension of funds to the Agency in reaction to allegations against a small group of staff, especially given the immediate action that UNRWA took by terminating their contracts and asking for a transparent independent investigation. The United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), the highest investigative authority in the UN system, has already been seized of this very serious matter.   

“UNRWA is the primary humanitarian agency in Gaza, with over 2 million people depending on it for their sheer survival.   Many are hungry as the clock is ticking towards a looming famine. The Agency runs shelters for over 1 million people and provides food and primary healthcare even at the height of the hostilities.  

“In its ruling yesterday, the International Court of Justice ordered that “Israel must take immediate and effective measures to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance to address the adverse conditions of life faced by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip”. These measures are aimed at preventing irreparable damage to the rights of Palestinians. 

“The only way that this can be done is through cooperation with international partners, especially UNRWA as the largest humanitarian actor in Gaza. Some 3,000 core staff out of 13,000 in Gaza continue to report to work, giving their communities a lifeline which can collapse anytime now due to lack of funding.  

“It would be immensely irresponsible to sanction an Agency and an entire community it serves because of allegations of criminal acts against some individuals, especially at a time of war, displacement and political crises in the region.  

“UNRWA shares the list of all its staff with host countries every year, including Israel. The Agency never received any concerns on specific staff members.  

“Meanwhile, an investigation by OIOS into the heinous allegations will establish the facts. Moreover, as I announced on 17 January, an independent review by external experts will help UNRWA strengthen its framework for the strict adherence of all staff to the humanitarian principles.  

“I urge countries who have suspended their funding to re-consider their decisions before UNRWA is forced to suspend its humanitarian response. The lives of people in Gaza depend on this support and so does regional stability”. 

The 9 countries who have suspended their relief support to the people of Gaza are: the United States, Australia, Canada, Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Finland.

UNRWA Report (25th January 2024) – Gaza – Donations can be made to UNWRA on this link

• Intense fighting in/around Khan Younis (Southwest of Gaza) over the last three days is causing loss of lives and damage to civilian infrastructure, including UNRWA’s largest shelter in the southern area, the Khan Younis Training Centre.
• On 24 January, the UNRWA Khan Younis Training Centre was hit by direct fire. It struck a building housing 800 displaced people.  At least 13 people were killed and 56 injured, 21 of them critically, in what should have been a place of safety.  43,000 internally displaced people are registered in and within close vicinity of the training centre, which is being used as an UNRWA shelter. Yesterday’s strike was the third direct hit on this compound.  UNRWA shares the location of all its facilities including shelters directly with Israeli authorities. UNRWA received assurances that people inside them would be safe.
• As of 22 January 2024, the total number of UNRWA colleagues killed since the beginning of hostilities has increased by one and is now 152.
• According to OCHA, telecommunication services in Gaza have been gradually restored in most of the Strip, while the internet remains severely disrupted in all areas. This prevents people in Gaza from accessing life-saving information and continues to impede humanitarian response.  Due to the security situation and poor internet connectivity, we are unable to update the number of people reached since Sitrep 67.
• As of 22 January, up to 1.7 million* people (over 75 per cent of the population)** have been displaced across the Gaza Strip, some multiple times.***  Families are forced to move repeatedly in search of safety. Following intense Israeli bombardments and fighting in Khan Younis and the Middle Areas in recent days, a significant number of displaced people have moved again further south. 

*This includes 1 million individuals residing in or near emergency shelters or informal shelters. As of October 12, approximately 160,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) were recorded in north Gaza and Gaza governorates. The ability of UNRWA to provide humanitarian support and updated data in these areas has been severely restricted. The ongoing hostilities, evacuation orders issued by Israeli Forces, and the constant need for safer locations have resulted in people being displaced multiple times.

**UNRWA has reported in Situation Report 64 that up to 1.9 million IDPs are either residing in 154 UNRWA shelters or near these shelters. Due to the continued escalation of fighting and evacuation orders, some households have moved away from the shelters where they were initially registered.

*** There are instances where the same IDPs are registered in multiple shelters due to the fluid movement of populations; hereafter, estimates are used for these shelters. UNRWA plans to conduct a more accurate count of IDPs in shelters, including informal shelters, as soon as the security situation allows. 

Humza Yousaf, First Minister of Scotland said:

“The people of Gaza are dying in the midst of a humanitarian catastrophe, they cannot be collectively punished. Aid must get to those who are already suffering so badly.” Humza Yousaf, First Minister of Scotland

Fiona Grahame