Sweden and Canada announced they would resume funding to the United Nations agency aiding the Palestinians.
They were among 16 countries that last month stopped providing hundreds of millions of dollars in support to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in the East (UNRWA) in response to Israeli accusations that at least 12 UNRWA staff members were involved in Hamas attacks on October 7 Japanese attacks on the country.
Sweden said today (March 9) it would initially provide 200 million crowns (£15 million) after UNRWA agreed to carry out more checks on its spending and staff.
Canada said on Friday it would restart funding to UNRWA, with International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen saying it was reassured after receiving an interim report from a U.N. investigation into allegations against Israel.
Hussen said the government was “restoring funding to UNRWA so that more can be done to meet the urgent needs of Palestinian civilians.”
A ship carrying tonnes of humanitarian aid prepared to leave Cyprus for Gaza today in a reversal after international donors launched a maritime corridor to deliver supplies to Gaza.
Sweden’s decision follows a similar move by the European Commission, which earlier this month allocated €50 million to UNRWA.
UNRWA has warned it could collapse, leaving Gaza’s already desperate population of more than 2 million with less medical and other aid.
“The humanitarian situation in Gaza is devastating and the needs are urgent,” Development Minister John Faussell said in a Swedish statement, adding that UNRWA had agreed to increase transparency and strengthen oversight and controls.
Sweden will provide half of the $38 million (£29.6 million) it has pledged to UNRWA this year, with more to come.
Israel accuses 12 of UNRWA’s thousands of employees of participating in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and took about 250 hostage.
The United States and other countries quickly suspended funding to UNRWA worth about $450 million (£350.5 million), almost half of its budget for the year.
The United Nations has launched an investigation and UNRWA has agreed to an external audit to win back donor support.
Due to Israeli restrictions and security concerns, the number of aid trucks entering Gaza each day after the war was far lower than the 500 that entered before October 7.
The U.S. military said its aircraft dropped more than 41,000 “meal equivalents” and 23,000 bottles of water into the most inaccessible areas of northern Gaza on Saturday.
Gaza’s health ministry said two more people had died due to malnutrition, including a two-month-old baby, bringing the total number of people who had died of starvation to 25.
UNRWA is the largest aid agency operating in Gaza, with more than 2 million people relying on its services.
Founded in 1949, the organization has approximately 13,000 employees and provides emergency humanitarian assistance, including health care and education, to Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
The agency has also provided shelter to hundreds of refugees since the conflict erupted following the Oct. 7 attacks.
Additional reporting by Press Association
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