The governments of the United States and the United Kingdom have yet to restore critical funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Human Rights Watch said. Both governments should act immediately to reinstate their support to the agency, the largest relief organization in Gaza.
On July 12, 2024, the US and UK endorsed a set of shared commitments alongside 116 other governments acknowledging the "extremely critical financial situation" facing UNRWA and "recognizing the serious humanitarian, political and security risks that would result from any interruption or suspension of its vital work." But neither country has reversed its January decision to cut off funds.
"The US and UK are now shameful outliers as most donors have resumed funding UNRWA," said Akshaya Kumar, crisis advocacy director at Human Rights Watch. "Cutting off aid was disproportionate to the allegations against UNRWA from the start. Palestinians in Gaza are facing catastrophic food insecurity, massive shortages of medical supplies, and repeated displacement, and there's no substitute for UNRWA's networks, experience, and capacity to provide relief."
The aid cutoffs were based on Israeli authorities' allegations that 19 people, out of UNRWA's 30,000 staff, had participated in the October 7 attack in Israel, which Human Rights Watch found included war crimes and crimes against humanity. An independent review released on April 20 and a published update on ongoing inquires by the UN's own internal investigators both stated that they have not found evidence, or been supplied the evidence by Israeli authorities, to support the key allegations.
Ninety percent of Gaza's population have been displaced or forced to flee their homes, many repeatedly, and 96 percent are projected to face crisis or worse levels of food insecurity by September.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, pregnant women in Gaza are finding it increasingly challenging to access
