Ireland has no plans to suspend funding for UN agency’s vital Gaza work: Foreign minister

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - Ireland on Saturday voiced support for investigating allegations of involvement by some UN aid agency staff in the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel by Palestinian group Hamas, but said it will not pause funding for the agency's Gaza work.

"Full confidence in @UNLazzarini's (agency head Philippe Lazzarini) decision to immediately suspend @UNRWA staff suspected of participation in the heinous attacks of October 7, to investigate thoroughly and show zero tolerance on terror," Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin wrote on X.

He said that the UN agency for Palestinian refugees provided life-saving assistance to 2.3 million people and at incredible personal cost – with over 100 staff killed in last four months.

"Ireland has no plans to suspend funding for UNRWA’s vital Gaza work," underlined Martin.

He added that Ireland provided the UNRWA €18 million ($19.5 million) in 2023 and will continue its support in 2024.

The decision to continue support came after some countries, including the US, Italy, and Australia, decided to suspend funding to the agency that provides humanitarian aid to Palestinians following the claims.

The UK and Finland also announced suspension of funding to the UNRWA early Saturday.

After the Israeli allegations, the agency on Friday said that it terminated contracts with several of its staffers over their alleged involvement with the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip since the Oct. 7 cross-border attack by Hamas which Tel Aviv said killed 1,200 people.

At least 26,083 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and 64,487 injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.​​​​​​​

The Israeli offensive has left 85% of Gaza’s population internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure was damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.