US halts UNRWA funding over alleged involvement in Hamas attack on Israel

The US has temporarily paused additional funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees UNRWA in light of recent allegations that the agencys employees may have been involved in the October 7 Hamas attack on IsraelSecretary of State Antony J Blinken spoke with United Nations SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres on January 25 to emphasize the necessity of a thorough and swift investigation of this matter the US State Department said in a statementNotably on October 7 more than 3000 women children and men ranging from the age of 9 months to 80 years in Israel were attacked by the terror group Hamas Many women were brutally raped and killed Around 1405 people lost their lives and over 200 were taken as hostagesUS State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said The United States is extremely troubled by the allegations that twelve UNRWA employees may have been involved in the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack on IsraelHe said the State Department has temporarily paused additional funding for UNRWA while we review these allegations and the steps the United Nations is taking to address themMiller said the US welcomes the UNs decision to investigate the matterWe welcome the decision to conduct such an investigation and Secretary General Guterres pledge to take decisive action to respond should the allegations prove accurate We also welcome the UNs announcement of a comprehensive and independent review of UNRWA There must be complete accountability for anyone who participated in the heinous attacks of October 7 the US State Department spokesperson saidMiller said UNRWA plays a critical role in providing lifesaving assistance to Palestinians including essential food medicine shelter and other vital humanitarian support Their work has saved lives and it is important that UNRWA address these allegations and take any appropriate corrective measures including reviewing its existing policies and proceduresThe US has meanwhile reached out to the Israel government to seek more information about these allegations and we have briefed Members of Congress We will remain in close contact with the United Nations and Israeli government regarding this matter he addedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever