Canada is becoming a member of the USA in suspending funding for a UN company that helps Palestinians, in response to allegations company employees performed a task within the Hamas assault on Israel final October.
Ottawa has ordered a brief pause on “any further funding” for the United Nations Reduction and Works Company for Palestine Refugees within the Close to East.
The director for the company often known as UNWRA says it has terminated employees suspected of involvement within the Hamas assault, with out sharing what position they could have performed.
The U.S. State Division says it believes 12 employees are going through accusations of involvement.
Worldwide Improvement Minister Ahmed Hussen says Canada will channel humanitarian assist for Palestinians in Gaza by way of different businesses till the investigation is completed.
He says UNRWA should take motion towards any of its employees who’re confirmed to have performed a task within the assaults.
“Canada is taking these reviews extraordinarily critically and is partaking carefully with UNRWA and different donors on this subject,” he mentioned in a press release late Friday afternoon.
The UN company says 153 of its employees have died in the course of the Israel-Hamas struggle, and roughly 13,000 employees are nonetheless attempting to ship assist within the Gaza Strip.
The struggle started Hamas militants killed round 1,200 individuals and took about 250 hostages on Oct. 7.
In retaliation, Israel launched a navy marketing campaign within the Gaza Strip that the Hamas-run Well being Ministry says has killed greater than 26,000 individuals, together with militants.
Israel is tightly controlling entry factors into Gaza and limiting provides, making it tough for humanitarian assist to get inside.
Final November, Overseas Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly praised the company for offering the necessities of life in Gaza, noting it’s “the one group in a position to concretely do that” and that Canada is “a major donor” to the company.
On the time, World Affairs Canada famous that Canada’s funding for UNRWA work in Gaza is not only for humanitarian reduction.
The cash was additionally geared toward serving to “determine, monitor and observe up on neutrality violations” throughout the group and boosting “transparency and accountability of UNRWA’s method to humanitarian rules,” the division mentioned.
Jewish teams and previous Canadian governments have taken UNRWA to job over social-media statements by the company’s employees that they argue don’t uphold neutrality.
They’ve additionally voiced considerations that UN assist may very well be diverted to Hamas, which Canada and others deem a terrorist group.
Former prime minister Stephen Harper’s Conservative authorities minimize off Canadian funding for UNWRA in 2010, amid allegations it was too carefully tied to Hamas.
Funding resumed below the federal Liberals in 2016.
