SA health activists condemn suspension of aid to UN Palestinian relief agency

SA health activists have joined a global coalition in condemning major donors for suspending funds to the UN’s agency for Palestinian relief in the wake of allegations that some of its employees were involved in a Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7.

At least 10 countries, including the US and Germany, have halted funding to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) after Israel’s claim on Friday that some agency staff belonged to Hamas and Islamic Jihad and were directly involved in the raid that triggered the Gaza war.

“UNRWA is the main aid provider for millions of Palestinians in Gaza and the region. This decision represents an act of collective punishment targeting Palestinian civilians and will certainly lead to even more death and suffering,” the activists said in a statement. SA signatories include the Health Justice Initiative, Section 27 and the People’s Health Movement.

The defunding decision came shortly after the International Court of Justice ruled that it is plausible to claim that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, which should have prompted member states to assess their potential complicity in genocide, said the activists. “Instead, by defunding UNRWA, these countries have exacerbated their complicity,” they added.

The US said on Friday it would pause funding to UNRWA, after Israel alleged that 12 of its employees had participated in the October 7 attack on Israel, which left 1,200 people dead and 240 taken captive into Gaza. The US is the biggest donor to UNRWA, which was established after the 1948 Arab-Israeli war to provide relief to Palestinians who were forced to leave their homes. It employees more than 13,000 people.

The UN inter-agency standing committee urged donors to reverse their decision, saying the cutting of support to UNRWA would have catastrophic consequences for the 2.2-million people of Gaza, as no other entity had the capacity to deliver urgently required aid.

“The allegations of involvement of several UNRWA staff in the heinous attacks on Israel on 7 October are horrifying. As the Secretary-General [António Guterres] has said, any UN employee involved in acts of terror will be held accountable. However, we must not prevent an entire organisation from delivering on its mandate to serve people in desperate need,” they said in a statement on Tuesday night.

Reuters reported on Wednesday it had seen an Israeli intelligence dossier that shows 190 UNRWA staff, including teachers, are Hamas or Islamic Jihad militants. The dossier was shared with the US, prompting its decision to suspend funding to UNRWA. Israel has long accused UNRWA of perpetuating conflict by discouraging the resettlement of refugees, and on occasions in the past has accused said agency staff of taking part in armed attacks.

UNRWA denies wrongdoing, describing its role as relief only.

— With Reuters

kahnt@businesslive.co.za