THE TELEGRAPH: Foreign Office says it is ‘appalled’ by claims UN workers were involved in Hamas massacre of Israelis
Britain has suspended its funding for the United Nations aid agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) after 12 of its employees were accused of taking part in the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.
The Foreign Office said it was “appalled” by the claims as it followed the United States, Canada, Australia and Italy in putting its funding on hold.
Israel has vowed to ban the UNRWA from operating in Gaza once the war is over after the agency sacked the workers on Friday.
Foreign Office documents show Britain has given UNRWA £27 million in aid since October 2022.
A memorandum of understanding between the Foreign Office and UNRWA shows Britain planned to hand it a further £2 million on April 15 and £9 million on October 1 this year.
But the Foreign Office has now said it is “temporarily pausing any future funding of UNRWA whilst we review these concerning allegations”.
“We remain committed to getting humanitarian aid to the people in Gaza who desperately need it,” it added. » | Tim Sigsworth and Edward Malnick, Sunday Political Editor | Saturday, January 27, 2024
