Italy’s Overseas Minister Antonio Tajani earlier Saturday confirmed Rome’s determination to halt funding for the U.N. company. Penny Wong, Australia’s overseas minister, made the same assertion on pausing Canberra’s assist, including that she welcomed the U.N. company’s determination to analyze the costs.
Canada and Finland additionally mentioned they’d be suspending assist.
The U.S. — the U.N. company’s largest donor — on Friday suspended its funding after Israel offered proof through its safety companies that 12 of UNRWA’s staff could have been concerned within the October 7 assaults, when Hamas militants rampaged into southern Israel, killing a minimum of 1,200 folks and taking greater than 250 others hostage.
Israel’s Overseas Minister Israel Katz on Saturday mentioned the Israeli authorities would attempt to cease the U.N. company from working in Gaza after the struggle, claiming that UNRWA was “not the answer,” and that it had served as a civilian department of the Hamas militant group.
The company on Friday mentioned it had ended the contracts of the employees concerned and began a probe into the allegations.
“To guard the company’s capability to ship humanitarian help, I’ve taken the choice to right away terminate the contracts of those employees members and launch an investigation to be able to set up the reality directly,” mentioned Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA commissioner-general, mentioned in a assertion Friday.