Sigrid Kaag, Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza said on Tuesday that UNRWA cannot be replaced and that this agency is still vital for people in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Apart from a political decision, which would have to be made by the General Assembly, “there is no way any organization can replace or substitute the tremendous capacity and the fabric of UNRWA and its ability and knowledge,” Kaag told correspondents outside the Security Council in New York.
"No organization can replace the enormous capacity of UNRWA”, she noted.
The UN agency is on the brink of closer after several western countries halted funding over an Israeli accusation that UNRWA staffs were involved in the October 7 Al-Aqsa Storm Operation launched by the Palestinian resistance movement, Hamas, against the regime.
Israel has been against UNRWA for years due to the agency’s helping hands to Palestinians suffering from the regime’s atrocities.
A senior UN official announced earlier that an investigation was launched soon after that Israeli authorities provided information regarding the alleged involvement of several UNRWA employees in the Al-Aqsa Storm Operation, with the agency’s chief pledging "immediately" termination of those staffs.
Linda Thomas Greenfield, the US ambassador to the United Nations also welcome the probe and called to hold those involved accountable but reminded that this should not overshadow the great work UNRWA is doing.
“UNRWA plays a key role in providing vital aid to the Palestinians”, she said.
A number of Western countries, including the United States, Britain, Germany, Italy and Canada that have been backing Israeli regime’s genocidal war on Gaza suspended their funding following the Israeli regime's accusations against UNRWA.
Meanwhile, Russia condemned the decision of some Western countries to stop financial aid to UNRWA, with the foreign minister calling the move a breach of international humanitarian laws.
According to Sputnik, Sergey Lavrov said that the aid to UNRWA should not be stopped until the results of the investigation about the validity of Israel's claims.
“This action will amount to collective punishment against the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip”, he said
A spokesperson of UNRWA warned on Monday that the agency will not be able to continue its activities and services throughout the region beyond February due to funding cut.
UNRWA was established in 1949 to assist and protect Palestinians who fled or were forced from their homes during the creation of the Zionist entity on occupied Palestinian land by western countries. The agency is currently assisting more than 5 million Palestinian refugees across the region.
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