By Laith Junaidi
AMMAN, Jordan (AA) - Jordan on Tuesday called on countries that suspended funding for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) to reverse their decision.
"No organization can do what UNRWA does in assisting more than two million Palestinians facing famine in Gaza,” Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said during a joint press conference with his Slovenian counterpart Tanja Fajon in Ljubljana.
Several countries suspended their funding to UNRWA last month following Israeli accusations that 12 of the agency's employees participated in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.
''Every dollar taken away from UNRWA is a piece of bread taken away from a starving child,'' Safadi said.
The Jordanian minister’s talks in Slovenia took up efforts to halt Israel’s war on Gaza and the catastrophic humanitarian conditions in the enclave, the Jordanian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The two ministers emphasized the "need for an immediate and permanent cease-fire in Gaza, and Israel's compliance with the rules of international law and humanitarian law,'' the statement said.
They also called for allowing sufficient and sustainable humanitarian aid to reach all parts of the Palestinian territory, it added.
Fajon, for her part, said Slovenia will continue its support to UNRWA for its crucial role in delivering humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
Israel has launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip following a Hamas attack on Oct. 7. The ensuing Israeli bombardment has killed nearly 29,200 and caused mass destruction and shortages of necessities.
The Israeli war on Gaza has pushed 85% of the territory's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.
*Writing by Mohammad Sio