Israel and Hamas reached a framework ceasefire amid UN Secretary-General’s claims of ongoing chaos in Gaza and UNRWA organisation’s need for funding.
Secretary-General António Guterres told a donors’ conference on Friday that UNRWA, which helps Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip and elsewhere in the Middle East, is in dire need of funding because it is in a difficult state. Guterres also stressed UNRWA has suffered significantly since the conflict began on 7 October 2023, stating 195 UNRWA staff members lost their lives, highest number of staff deaths in UN history.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philip Lazzarini confirmed at the start of the conference the agency only has funds to operate until August. Despite, he is confident the $850 million annual budget will contain enough new money to keep the agency running until the end of September. He added, UNRWA will be seeking funds in the coming months to continue its operations through December, as well as emergency appeals for $1.2 billion for the war in Gaza and $460 million for the crisis in Syria, both of which are only 20 per cent funded.
The extreme level of fighting and devastation is incomprehensible and inexcusable – and the level of chaos is affecting every Palestinian in Gaza and all those desperately trying to get aid to them. Just when we thought it couldn’t get any worse in Gaza – somehow, appallingly, civilians are being pushed into ever deeper circles of hell, the secretary-general said on the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip and the impact of Israel’s offensive in the region.
The year has been particularly rough for the organisation amid Israeli claims that 12 of the agency’s 13,000 staff in Gaza took part in a sudden Hamas attack on 7 October. As a result, 16 countries cut off about $450 million in funding to UNRWA. However, 14 countries returned to funding, Britain and the US are still missing from the list. Lazzarini, for his part, expresses hopes of Britain reappearing soon. Washington, on the other hand, has banned any payments to the agency until 25 March 2025.
Moreover, 118 countries signed a declaration of strong support for UNRWA, with the United States among the signatories, according to Slovenia Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon.
Ceasefire framework agreement reached – Biden
US President Joe Biden confirmed on Friday that Israel and Hamas have agreed on a framework ceasefire agreement to facilitate the release of hostages held since the conflict escalated. He stated on X:
Six weeks ago, I laid out a comprehensive framework for how to achieve a cease-fire and bring the hostages home. There is still work to do, and these are complex issues, but that framework is now agreed to by both Israel and Hamas. My team is making progress, and I’m determined to get this done.
Officials report that part of the agreement is an “interim administration” plan in which neither Israel nor Hamas will control Gaza during the interim period. Initially, 33 hostages will initially go free, which will lead to the release of all male IDF soldiers held captive.
The truce is particularly important today as the Gaza Strip is on the verge of losing an entire generation of children due to continued Israeli aggression in the Strip since 7 October 2023, UNRWA reported. Over 600,000 children in Gaza have been unable to go to school since the Israeli war began in October, as more schools have been closed and survivors turned into shelters for internally displaced people, according to Juliette Touma.
