France announced, on Sunday, the suspension of its funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), in the first quarter of 2024, after Israeli accusations that its employees were involved in the October 7 attack carried out by Hamas on the Hebrew state.
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: “France does not intend to disburse a new payment for the first quarter of 2024 and will decide when the time comes for the measures to be taken in cooperation with the United Nations and major donors, by ensuring that all requirements for aid transparency and security are taken into account.”
Noting that the accusations against the employees are “extremely serious,” Paris, which granted UNRWA 60 million euros in 2023, added that it wants to wait “until the investigations that began in recent days fully clarify the facts and are accompanied by concrete measures.”
On Friday, Israel accused several UNRWA employees of participating in the Hamas attack on October 7.
The United States was quick to announce the suspension of its funding for UNRWA, followed by a group of countries, including Germany, Australia, Italy, Finland, and Britain.
Other countries, such as Switzerland, are waiting for more information before making a decision on their assistance to UNRWA.
For its part, UNRWA immediately responded to the Israeli accusations by terminating the contracts of the employees concerned and promised to conduct a comprehensive investigation and take legal measures if the accusations were proven. However, Israel announced its intention to prevent the agency from continuing its work in Gaza after the end of the war.
The sudden attack launched by Hamas on Israel led to the killing of about 1,140 people, most of them civilians, and the taking of 250 others hostage, according to official Israeli figures.
The military attack launched by Israel in the Gaza Strip resulted in the killing of more than 26,000 people, most of them civilians, according to a toll announced by the Ministry of Health in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.