Slovenia announces financial aid to UN Refugee Agency for Palestinians

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - Slovenia announced Friday it will contribute €500,000 ($540,000) to the UN Refugee Agency for Palestinians (UNRWA).

The government noted it decided to provide the funds based on a decision reached at a government session.

"With the decision on continued financing of the UNRWA, the Government responded to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ call for the international community to ensure the continuous operation of this key agency carrying out humanitarian activities in Gaza," it said in a statement.

Separately, the southern European country also adopted a resolution on material assistance to the Palestinian civilian population, providing food and shelter equipment for an estimated value of $470,000.

"As a responsible non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, the Republic of Slovenia is committed to ensuring aid to civilian populations suffering in military conflicts," it added.

Several countries suspended funding to UNRWA last month following Israeli accusations that 12 of the agency's thousands of employees took part in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel. The agency is investigating the claims but warned that cutting off funding risks a catastrophe.

Israel launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip following a Hamas attack on Oct. 7. The ensuing Israeli bombardment has killed more than 29,000 people and injured over 69,000 with 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.