All EU donors have now resumed funding to UNRWA, confirmed Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
Borrell posted on Thursday via X saying: “I commend the initiative in favour of @UNRWA, an indispensable lifeline in Gaza and in the region.”
He added: “All EU donors have now resumed their support to the Agency, still in critical financial situation.” The EU representative concluded that, “We have to step up our support; the needs are only growing.”
At the start of the year, donors started withdrawing funding for UNRWA after Israel claimed some staff affiliated with the UN agency had involvement in the October 7 attacks.
EU donors started reinstating their funding for UNRWA, starting with Germany in April, after it noted that Israel had not given evidence to back its accusation.
Germany’s move triggered other donors to follow suit, as Australia, Canada, Sweden, and Japan resumed funds too. Austria also announced last week that it would not only restart funds but restore funding, totaling 3.7 million dollars. The payment is expected to happen in the summer.
The European Commission announced at the beginning of March that it had decided to allocate an additional 68 million euros (73.6 million dollars) to support the Palestinian population across the region, to be implemented through international partners like the Red Cross and the Red Crescent.