Austria suspends payments to UNRWA

By Timo Kirez

GENEVA (AA) - Austria has decided to join a group of countries that suspended funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), its Foreign Ministry said Monday in a press release.

It joins the US, Germany, France, the UK, Finland and Japan, which claim that 12 staff members from UNRWA may have been involved in the Oct. 7 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Israel.

The background to the suspension comes from Israeli accusations against the UN relief organization.

"The allegations are deeply shocking and extremely worrying," said the statement, adding: "We call on UNRWA and the United Nations to conduct a comprehensive, swift and complete investigation into the allegations. The United Nations must be above criticism.”

All contributions to UNRWA have been suspended "until all these allegations have been fully clarified and there is clarity about the consequences drawn from them," the Foreign Ministry added.

According to the press release, Austria is acting "in coordination with international partners."

The Foreign Ministry said previously that Austria’s annual contribution to UNRWA amounts to around €400,000 ($433,508). In addition, there is a contribution of €3 million per year for a health project.

The ministry also said in the press release that Austria will continue to help the suffering civilian population in Gaza regardless of the decision on UNRWA.

"To alleviate the enormous humanitarian suffering, Austria has provided a total of €13 million in humanitarian aid for the civilian population in Gaza and the region since Oct. 7," it said.

Israel says that 1,200 people were killed in the cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, and since then, it has conducted constant air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip.

Palestinian health authorities have confirmed that at least 26,637 Palestinians have been killed since then, most of them women and children, and 65,387 people have been injured.

The Israeli offensive has resulted in 85% of Gaza's population being displaced due to acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine. In comparison, 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.