The end of funding to the United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) would result in the collapse of the humanitarian system in Gaza, a statement signed by 14 major aid agencies warned on Wednesday.

United Nations.- The text asserted that the end of the UNRWA’s work would have far-reaching humanitarian and human rights consequences on the occupied Palestinian territory and throughout the region.

The signatories, including reporters, high commissioners, and heads of UN agencies, called for continued support for the main humanitarian actor in the Gaza Strip as investigations proceed following claims of alleged links to Hamas.

“We must not prevent an entire organization from fulfilling its mandate to serve people in desperate need,” the text signed by the High Commissioners for Human Rights, Volker Türk, and for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, as well as the heads of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO) and UN Women, stated.

Decisions by several Member States to suspend the funding to the Palestinian Refugee Agency will have catastrophic consequences for the people of Gaza, the newspaper warned.

No other institution can provide the scale and breadth of assistance that 2.2 million people in the enclave urgently need, it acknowledged with a call not to abandon the civilian population. (PL)