Statement by 20 aid organisations
As aid organisations, we are deeply concerned and outraged that
some of the largest donors have united to suspend funding for the
United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the main aid
provider for millions of Palestinians in Gaza and the region.
This comes amid a rapidly worsening humanitarian catastrophe in
Gaza.
The suspension of funding by donor states will impact life-saving
assistance for over two million civilians, over half of whom are
children, who rely on UNRWA aid in Gaza. The population faces
starvation, looming famine and an outbreak of disease under
Israel’s continued indiscriminate bombardment and deliberate
deprivation of aid in Gaza.
We welcome UNRWA’s swift investigation into the alleged
involvement of a small number of UN staff members in the October
7th attacks. We are shocked by the reckless decision to cut a
lifeline for an entire population by some of the very countries
that had called for aid in Gaza to be stepped up and for
humanitarians to be protected while doing their job. This
decision comes as the International Court of Justice ordered
immediate and effective action to ensure the provision of
humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza.
152 UNRWA staff have already been killed and 145 UNRWA facilities
damaged by bombardment. UNRWA is the largest humanitarian agency
in Gaza and their delivery of humanitarian assistance cannot be
replaced by other agencies working in Gaza. If the funding
suspensions are not reversed we may see a complete collapse of
the already restricted humanitarian response in Gaza. With
approximately over one million displaced Palestinians taking
shelter in or around 154 UNRWA shelters, the agency and aid
organisations have continued to work in near impossible
circumstances to provide food, clean water, sanitation and
medical support. The countries suspending funds risk further
depriving Palestinians in the region of essential food, water,
medical assistance and supplies, education and protection.
We urge donor states to reaffirm support for the vital work that
UNRWA and its partners do to help Palestinians survive one of the
worst humanitarian catastrophes of our times. Countries must
reverse these funding suspensions, uphold their duties towards
the Palestinian people and scale up humanitarian assistance for
civilians in dire need in Gaza and the region.
Signed
War Child Alliance
ActionAid
Norwegian Refugee Council
Diakonia
Oxfam
Première Urgence Internationale
Médecins du Monde France, Spain, Switzerland, Canada, Germany
Danish Refugee Council
Johanniter International Assistance The Association of
International Development Agencies - Aida
Humanity & Inclusion/ Handicap International (HI)
INTERSOS
CCFD-Terre Solidaire
International Council for Voluntary Agencies
Norwegian People's Aid
Plateforme des ONG françaises pour la Palestine
Norwegian Church Aid
DanChurchAid
American Friends Service Committee
Caritas Internationalis
Save the Children
