FM urges international community to continue providing aid to UNRWA

Amman: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi underlined the crucial role of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in delivering vital humanitarian aid to over two million Palestinians grappling with dire circumstances due to Israeli aggression in Gaza. In a phone call with the UNRWA's Commissioner-General, Philippe Lazzarini, Safadi underscored the imperative for the international community to sustain its support for UNRWA. This support is essential for the Agency to continue its humanitarian mission in Gaza, where people are facing famine as Israel refuses to allow the entry of crucial humanitarian and sustainable aid into Gaza in a clear violation of international humanitarian law and the International Court of Justice's ruling. Safadi also underlined that the agency should not face collective punishment due to allegations against 12 people out of its 13,000 staff members in Gaza. He highlighted that UNRWA promptly initiated an investigation into these allegations. Both Safadi and Lazzarini urged nations that suspended their support for UNRWA to reverse their decisions. This is crucial to ensure the agency's ability to provide indispensable services to over two million Palestinians in Gaza, who rely on these services for their basic needs. Moreover, UNRWA shelters provide refuge for approximately one million out of 1.9 million Palestinians displaced in Gaza since the onset of the aggression. Lazzarini noted that UNRWA has requested the United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services, the highest investigative authority in the UN, to conduct an independent and transparent investigation into the alleged involvement of 12 of its employees in the October 7th events. He mentioned that these employees have had their contracts terminated. The investigation aims to establish facts, and external expert review will help UNRWA enhance its framework to ensure full adherence to humanitarian principles by all staff members. Both partie s emphasized that any shortfall in funding for UNRWA, the primary support network in Gaza, would immediately impact the agency's ability to provide vital humanitarian services. Such a situation would exacerbate the suffering of Gazans, especially considering that humanitarian aid reaching them since the aggression's onset has met only 10 percent of their needs. Source: Jordan News Agency