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Following Canada earlier this week, Sweden also announced on Saturday that the country will resume funding to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA. International news agencies report this. Canada, Sweden, the Netherlands and thirteen other countries halted their funding to UNRWA earlier this year after Israel accused twelve of the organization’s employees of aiding the Hamas attack on October 7. UNRWA has in turn accused Israel of extracting false confessions from its associates under coercion and torture about their role in the Hamas attack.
The organization lost around 450 million dollars (411 million euros) due to the shutdowns — almost half of its annual budget. UNRWA has approximately 13,000 staff in Gaza, making it one of the main providers of food, water and shelter. Aid organizations have been warning for some time of extreme famine in the Gaza Strip, where the entire population is now malnourished. Last week, authorities reported the first deaths from malnutrition.
The change in attitude from Canada and Sweden comes after UNRWA pledged to carry out more stringent checks on employees, including with experts from the European Union who will oversee the employee screening process. The UN is currently conducting two investigations into Israel’s allegations. Canada would according to Canadian broadcaster CBS have seen an interim version of one of those reports and have decided to resume assistance based on those findings. The NOS reported earlier this week that the Netherlands has not seen the interim report and will only consider a different position on aid to UNRWA once the full UN investigation has been completed.
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