NNA – The United Nations#39; Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese, affirmed in a post on X that the decision of some countries to suspend funding to thenbsp;United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugeesnbsp;(UNRWA) in Gaza is a form of collective punishment that puts Palestinians in more dire situations amid the genocide.nbsp;
Albanese slammed the countries partaking in this move, and accused them of quot;violating their obligations under the Genocide Convention.quot;
Philippe Lazzarini, the Commissioner-General of the UN, also issued a statement regarding the suspension of aid to UNRWA.nbsp;
quot;I am shocked such decisions are taken based on alleged behavior of a few individuals and as the war continues,nbsp;needs are deepening amp; famine looms.quot;
Moreover, he went on in defense of Palestinians in Gaza, saying they do not need any additional challenges relative to all the conditions they are forced to live in.nbsp;
WHO condemns all accusations
Several Western countries have joined forces against UNRWA, and cut funding allocated to the organization after quot;Israelquot; accused 12 UNRWA employees, following the ICJ#39;s ruling, of participating in Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7.nbsp;
World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus denied all accusations in a post on X.nbsp;
quot;Such false claims are harmfulnbsp;and can endanger our staff who are risking their lives to serve the vulnerable.quot;
Hamas also condemned the measuresnbsp;and extended support to UNRWA, saying it must not be deterred by these accusations and ldquo;not to yield to the blackmails and threats of the Israeli occupation, and its efforts to cut off the lifelines of the Palestinian people.rdquo; — Al Mayadeen Englishnbsp;
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