Top UN officials have warned that the withdrawal of funding for its main aid agency in Gaza could lead to the "collapse of the humanitarian system", Ednews informs referring to the BBC.
They spoke out after the US, UK and other countries halted funding over the alleged role of some UN staff in the 7 October Hamas attacks on Israel. The UN sacked several of its staff over the allegations. It said an investigation into its agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, is underway. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described UNRWA as "perforated with Hamas", saying Israel has "discovered that there were 13 UNRWA workers who actually participated, either directly or indirectly, in the 7 October massacre". But the US, the biggest donor to the UNWRA, has said it wants to see the aid agency continue its work.
A UNRWA spokesperson has said that if funding is not resumed, the agency will not be able to continue its operations beyond the end of February. "The allegations of involvement of several UNRWA staff in the heinous attacks on Israel on 7 October are horrifying," a statement by the UN Inter-Agency Standing Committee says. "As the secretary-general has said, any UN employee involved in acts of terror will be held accountable. However, we must not prevent an entire organisation from delivering on its mandate to serve people in desperate need.
"Withdrawing funds from UNRWA is perilous and would result in the collapse of the humanitarian system in Gaza, with far-reaching humanitarian and human rights consequences in the occupied Palestinian territory and across the region," it adds. "The world cannot abandon the people of Gaza."
Also on Tuesday, the UN's humanitarian coordinator for Gaza said no other organisation can replace UNRWA due to the the agency's "knowledge" of the population in Gaza. Other countries which have halted funding include Germany, Sweden an Japan.
Mr Guterres met representatives of more than 30 donor states on Tuesday and is reported to have urged those who have withdrawn funding to reconsider.
