Action Aid International: Cutting funding for UNRWA is a death sentence for millions of Palestinians

Occupied Al-Quds, (ST) – ActionAid International stressed that the decision taken by some countries to suspend funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) constitutes a death sentence for millions of Palestinian refugees.

Wafa News Agency quoted the organization as saying in a statement today: The decision will exacerbate the current catastrophic humanitarian crisis suffered by millions of Palestinian refugees in Gaza Strip and the West Bank and will lead to regional consequences for refugees in Syria, Jordan and Lebanon.

“This basic humanitarian aid is considered extremely important for refugees and host countries”, the statement added.

The organization condemned the punishment of the entire population of the Gaza Strip at the hands of some of the same countries that previously called for increased assistance and protection for humanitarian workers in Gaza. It noted that withdrawing funding from these donor countries is no less than a death sentence for nearly two million people, more than half of whom are children of those who depend on UNRWA’s assistance in Gaza to survive.

The organization stressed that the decision will stop life-saving assistance at a time when civilians face the grim reality of starvation, impending famine, and the spread of diseases exacerbated by the bombing of the Israeli occupation.

Action Aid pointed out that since the start of its aggression against the Gaza Strip on October 7, the occupation has killed more than 152 UNRWA employees and targeted more than 141 of its facilities, and some of them sustained irreparable damage as a result of the continuous bombing.

The organization called on donor countries to reverse their decision, stop collective punishment of Palestinians in Gaza Strip and the region, fulfill their obligations towards the Palestinian people, and increase their humanitarian aid immediately.

Raghda Sawas