On January 26, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an interim ruling on South Africa’s case accusing Israel of committing genocide against the Palestinian people. On the same day, the Israeli government accused 12 employees of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) of having ties to Hamas or being involved in its October 7 operation. As a result, over a dozen countries cut their financial support for the agency and UNRWA’s chief, Philippe Lazzarini, fired nine of the accused.
This defunding of UNRWA could have grave consequences for the destitute and hungry Palestinians, particularly those in northern Gaza, who rely on the agency for humanitarian relief, healthcare, education, and other assistance. UNRWA was established by the United Nations in 1949 to provide relief to Palestinian refugees and today has 30,000 staff, mainly Palestinian, who support millions of Palestine refugees throughout the Middle East, with 13,000 staff in Gaza alone.
Critics argue that the UN has delegated important international legal obligations to UNRWA that should be the responsibility of Israel as the occupying power. The accusations against the 12 UNRWA staff should be seen in this context, and the swift decision of several countries to suspend funding to the agency during a time of conflict and possible genocide is troubling.
Even if the accused staff are found guilty, it does not justify starving UNRWA of funding when it tries to save Palestinians from starvation. The swift decisions to cut funding may be deemed a breach of obligations under the 1948 Genocide Convention, and it is furthering a genocide.