Defunding UNRWA will have ‘catastrophic consequences’ for Gazans, warns WHO chief

GENEVA

The World Health Organization (WHO) chief on Wednesday warned that suspending funding to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees will have “catastrophic consequences” for people in the besieged enclave of Gaza.

"Decisions by various countries to pause funds for UNRWA, the largest supplier of humanitarian aid in this crisis, will have catastrophic consequences for the people of Gaza," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a press conference in Geneva.


"No other entity has the capacity to deliver the scale and breadth of assistance that 2.2 million people in Gaza urgently need," Tedros stressed, and added: "We appeal for these announcements to be reconsidered."

He reiterated his call for safe access for humanitarian personnel and supplies, as well as the release of all hostages and health care to be protected.


"And we continue to call for a ceasefire," Tedros added.


Noting that over 100,000 Gazans are either dead, injured or missing and presumed dead as of Wednesday, he said that reports on food shortages for medical staff and patients are increasing.


"The risk of famine is high and increasing each day with persistent hostilities and restricted humanitarian access," he said.

At least 12 countries — Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Canada, Finland, Australia, the UK, the Netherlands, the US, France, Austria and Japan — have suspended funding for UNRWA after Tel Aviv alleged that some of the agency’s staff were involved in the cross-border attack on Israel on Oct. 7.

UNRWA said it terminated contracts with several employees following the Israeli allegations and launched an internal investigation.

Israel launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, killing at least 26,750 Palestinians and injuring over 65,600. Nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

The Israeli offensive has left 85% of Gaza’s population internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.