Norway transfers $26M to UN agency for Palestinian refugees

By Ayse Dogru

Norway announced that it has sent $26 million in aid to the United Nations agency for Palestine refugees or UNRWA, after some countries decided to stop their support temporarily.

Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said on X on Thursday, “Today, Norway transfers $26 million to UNRWA, the UN Agency that supports Palestinian refugees.”

“UNRWA is the backbone of humanitarian efforts in Gaza. Its services are critical for millions of people in extreme need,” he added.

The agency has been the main organization providing humanitarian aid such as food, health, education and shelter to Palestinian refugees since its inception in 1950, and it is funded by voluntary contributions from UN member states.

The agency supports 5.9 million Palestinian refugees.

The UNRWA has been providing relief to Palestinians for around 74 years, but its facilities have been repeatedly hit by Israel, with tons of food and medicine destroyed.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for an urgent investigation into Israeli allegations that agency staff were involved in the Oct. 7 attack by Palestinian group Hamas on Israel, in which some 1,200 people were reportedly killed.

The UNRWA has launched an investigation into Israel's allegations.

Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Canada, Finland, Iceland, Australia, Britain, the Netherlands, the US, France, Austria, Japan and Estonia have all announced their decision to temporarily suspend financial support to UNRWA.

Norway, Ireland, and Spain, on the other hand, said they will continue to support the agency.

*Writing by Zeynep Cetin in Istanbul