![]() Secretary of state Antony Blinken arrived in Riyadh at the start of his first Middle East trip since Washington brokered an offer, with Israeli input, for the first extended ceasefire of the war. Washington usually gives UNRWA between $300m-$400m annually.Īs reported here earlier, the top US diplomat has been meeting Saudi Arabia's de-facto ruler today in a visit that Palestinians hope will deliver a truce in Gaza before a threatened Israeli assault on Rafah - the border city where about half of the enclave's population is sheltering. The State Department has said it has provided $121m to UNRWA in the current fiscal year, and that only $300,000 of appropriated funds remained for the agency. "This is tangible money that we believe will save lives and have a direct impact on Palestinian civilians, and we will redirect funding for UNRWA to other partners to provide assistance in Gaza," he said. Mr Patel said at a news briefing that the bill, negotiated by the Biden administration and a bipartisan group of senators, included $1.4bn for humanitarian aid for Gaza, but that could be sent to the UN's World Food Program (WFP), UNICEF or other aid groups. ![]() US state department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said today that the Biden administration would redirect any funds to other aid agencies working in Gaza if Congress passes legislation that would bar funding to the UNRWA.Ī bill unveiled by senators on Sunday included a provision blocking the agency from receiving funds made available by the bill. Nevertheless, the UNRWA has said it may be forced to end its humanitarian operations in Gaza by the end of this month if it does not manage to replace the funding that had been withdrawn by countries including the US and the UK. UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini says Israel has not presented evidence of its allegations to agency, while the FT reported it had seen Israel's intelligence assessment and that it "provides no evidence for the claims". On the day the International Court of Justice ruled that it would investigate Israel over charges it is committing a genocide in Gaza, Israeli announced allegations that some UNRWA staff were involved in the 7 October attacks by Hamas. We reported earlier on efforts being made by the UNRWA, the main UN Palestinian relief agency, to replace funding that had been suspended by key donors (see 18.15 post).
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