EU to disburse $17.3M to UN agency for Palestinian refugees

By Nur Asena Erturk

The European Union decided on Friday to disburse €16 million ($17.3 million) to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).

“The Commission has today processed a second tranche of assistance of €25 million for the Palestinian Authority to contribute to the payment of salaries and pensions of Palestinian civil servants and disbursed €16 million for UNRWA to provide basic services such as health and education to Palestinian refugees,” the EU Commission said in a statement.

This new payment to UNRWA brings to €66 million the EU's total development assistance out of the €82 million for the UN agency in 2024.

"The remaining tranche will be subject to the implementation of our agreement with UNRWA and the agency's compliance with the agreed conditions and measures," the statement added.

Many countries had suspended aid to the agency over Israeli allegations linking its staffers to the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack.

But most of the key donors resumed aid after an independent review of UNRWA found that Israel had not provided any evidence to back its claims.

Israel has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians since the initial Hamas incursion that claimed 1,200 lives. The blockaded enclave remains in ruins, and the humanitarian situation has worsened by restrictions on aid delivery.​​​​​​​