European Union Proceeds With €50 Million UNRWA Funding In 2024 Despite Israeli Allegations

The European Union decided to continue funding the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in 2024 despite Israeli claims that some UNRWA staff were involved in the October 7 massacre and kidnapping of Israelis.

“Brussels – The EU will not stop funding the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA)”

Eunews

The European Commission said it would “proceed to disburse a first tranche of EUR 50 million out of the EUR 82 million foreseen for UNRWA for 2024,” and it framed the move as necessary to avoid cutting off aid to people in Gaza.

Eunews

In parallel, the Commission said it would allocate an additional EUR 68 million for Palestinians across the region “to be implemented through international partners like the Red Cross and the Red Crescent.”

The Commission also said it would proceed with payments after discussing the terror allegations with UNRWA and being assured that “UNRWA has also indicated that it stands ready to ensure that a review of its staff is carried out to confirm they did not participate in the attacks and that further controls are put in place to mitigate such risks in the future.”

The EU’s decision came after it initially held up payments and then reversed course on Friday, “one day after crowds descended on two aid delivery convoys in Gaza,” a situation that the Jerusalem Post said involved “a stampede and live gunfire” and killed “over 100 Palestinians.”

The European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations statement added that the Commission would proceed to paying “€50 million of the UNRWA envelope next week,” and it described the total 2024 UNRWA envelope as €82 million, with other humanitarian allocations layered on top.

The EU’s funding decision was tied to how it assessed “very serious allegations” made on 24 January that implicated several UNRWA staff in the “heinous 7 October attacks,” and it said it took account of actions taken by the UN and the commitments the Commission required from UNRWA.

The European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations statement said the Commission “has assessed its funding decision for UNRWA in light of the very serious allegations made on 24 January that implicate several UNRWA staff in the heinous 7 October attacks,” and it said it welcomed the UN’s Office for Internal Oversight Services investigation “to shed light into the serious allegations against UNRWA staff.”

European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations

It also said the UN created an independent Review Group led by Catherine Colonna to assess whether the agency was doing everything within its power to ensure neutrality and respond to allegations of serious breaches.

In the same statement, the Commission said UNRWA “has agreed to the launch of an audit of the Agency to be conducted by EU appointed external experts,” and it specified that “This audit will review the control systems to prevent the possible involvement of its staff and assets in terrorist activities.”

The Jerusalem Post similarly reported that the European Commission said it had discussed the terror allegations with UNRWA and was assured that the organization was taking steps to address the issue, including a staff review and “further controls.”

The EU executive also described additional internal steps, stating that “UNRWA agrees to the strengthening of its department of internal investigations and the governance surrounding it,” and it said UNRWA and the Commission confirmed their understanding on these points.

EU leaders and commissioners defended the decision as both a humanitarian necessity and a response to the allegations that triggered funding suspensions.

“The European Union plans to continue to fund the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees despite the involvement of some of its staff in the October 7 massacre and kidnapping of Israelis”

The Jerusalem Post

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, “We stand by the Palestinian people in Gaza and elsewhere in the region. Innocent Palestinians should not have to pay the price for the crimes of terrorist group Hamas,” and she added that “That is why we are reinforcing our support to them this year by a further EUR 68 million.”

The European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations statement quoted Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič saying, “The catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza requires urgent mobilization of donors,” and it added that “Today, the Commission is contracting the first €16 million from its humanitarian aid budget for food, medical and non-food items, shelter, as well as education and psycho-social support to civilians in Gaza.”

Lenarčič also emphasized access, stating, “It is essential to also ensure the safe and unimpeded access for humanitarian aid and workers into and throughout Gaza. Thousands of lives are at stake.”

Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi said the Commission was “diversifying its assistance for the innocent Palestinian people in Gaza,” while also welcoming “the commitment of UNRWA to introduce robust measures to prevent possible misconduct and minimize risk of allegations.”

Eunews also reported that the EU executive’s decision came after UNRWA’s Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said he was ready to “revolutionize the agency to ensure a staff review, establish additional oversight mechanisms, and strengthen the internal investigations department,” and it described Várhelyi as pushing for suspending funds after news of alleged involvement by “the 12 UNRWA workers in the Hamas attacks.”

The EU’s decision was presented against a worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza, with multiple figures and incidents used to underline urgency.

Eunews said that “UNRWA announced that humanitarian aid entering the Strip was down 50 percent in February compared to January,” and it added that “Confirmed Palestinian casualties since Oct. 7 exceed 30,000, in addition to the thousands missing.”

Eunews

It also reported that “Yesterday (Feb. 29), Israel opened fire during the distribution of flour in Gaza City, killing 100 people and wounding 700,” and it quoted the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell saying, “I am horrified by news of yet another carnage among civilians in Gaza desperate for humanitarian aid. These deaths are totally unacceptable. Depriving people of food aid constitutes a serious violation of international humanitarian law.”

Eunews further quoted Ursula von der Leyen saying she was “Deeply disturbed by images from Gaza…Humanitarian aid is a lifeline for those in need and access to it must be ensured.”

The same article described UNRWA’s scale of operations, stating that UNRWA supports “the nearly 2 million internally displaced people in Gaza,” and “over 6 million Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, and the occupied territories of the West Bank,” while also saying it has “over 13,000 employees in Gaza, of whom 158 killed under Israeli shelling, and 30,000 throughout the Middle East.”

The Jerusalem Post, meanwhile, described the earlier aid-delivery convoys episode in Gaza as involving “a stampede and live gunfire” that killed “over 100 Palestinians,” and it said the incident “highlighted the importance of resolving the problems facing aid delivery organizations in the enclave.”

While all three EU-focused pieces describe the same core decision to release €50 million out of an €82 million UNRWA envelope for 2024, they frame the political stakes and the humanitarian urgency differently.

“Today, the Commission has decided to allocate an additional €68 million to support the Palestinian population across the region to be implemented through international partners like the Red Cross and the Red Crescent”

European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations

The Jerusalem Post emphasizes the EU’s reversal after crowds descended on two aid delivery convoys in Gaza and highlights Israel’s accusations that “at least 12 of its employees had taken part in the October 7 attack,” while also noting that the EU said UNRWA assured it was taking steps to address the terror allegations.

European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations

Eunews, by contrast, stresses that “The EU will not stop funding the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA),” and it links the decision to UNRWA actions and to the risk of “cutting off assistance to the people of Gaza.”

It also adds a broader donor context, stating that “the hope is that it will serve as an example for member states that have suspended their payments,” listing Austria, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Romania, and Sweden, as well as the United States, Iceland, the United Kingdom, Japan, and Australia.

The European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations statement focuses on conditionality and governance, saying the agreement “foresees the possibility for the Commission to suspend or recover payments should credible information indicating significant deficiencies in the functioning of the internal control system come to light.”

Eunews adds that UNRWA’s Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said that without “the $450 million in funds blocked by various donors around the world,” the agency “may not be able to continue its work as early as the end of March.”