Top EU official calls for preserving 'irreplaceable role' of UN agency for Palestinian refugees

By Nur Asena Erturk

ANKARA (AA) – The EU foreign policy chief on Wednesday called for preserving the “irreplaceable role” of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).

"It’s critical to preserve @UNRWA’s irreplaceable role in delivering humanitarian aid in Gaza, as stressed by UN Coordinator, (Sigrid) Kaag," Josep Borrell wrote on X.

At least 15 countries — Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Canada, Finland, Australia, the UK, the Netherlands, the US, France, Austria and Japan — have suspended funding for UNRWA after Tel Aviv alleged that some of the agency’s staff were involved in the cross-border attack on Israel on Oct. 7.

UNRWA said it terminated contracts with several employees following the Israeli allegations.

Borrell said that an investigation into the allegation is needed, but stressed: "We shouldn’t let allegations cloud UNRWA’s indispensable and great work."

Israel launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, killing at least 26,750 Palestinians and injuring over 65,600. Nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

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 has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.