ALBAWABA - The German government announced it will be resuming the funding of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), after months of having aid on hold.
The Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Development Aid released a statement announcing the news. "By continuing the acute cooperation, we are supporting UNRWA's vital and currently irreplaceable role in providing care for the people in Gaza, because other international aid organizations are also currently dependent on UNRWA's operational structures in Gaza," the statement reads.
While German support of the UNRWA in the Gaza Strip has been suspended since the end of January, funds for the humanitarian agency's work in other Middle Eastern locations have continued to flow.
The German government contributed €45 million to the Palestinian relief agency in March for activities in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and the West Bank. According to the government, it will provide more than €200 million to the UN body in 2023 alone.
The UNRWA noted that it will work closely with its closest international partners to provide more money. In light of the horrific situation in the Gaza Strip, there have recently been repeated requests to continue assisting the relief agency in providing aid for the people of Gaza.
Germany joined many other nations, including Japan, the United States, and the United Kingdom, in suspending UNRWA funding following Israel's charges that a dozen of the agency's 13,000 staff in Gaza were involved in the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel.
