On Sunday, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported, citing Lazzarini, that UNRWA could face a budget deficit from March after several countries suspended funding for the agency amid an investigation into the alleged involvement of some of its staff in the October 7 attack on Israel.
The ICJ expects UNRWA to strengthen its capacity to meet the most urgent humanitarian needs of the population of Gaza, and the demise of the organization will not in any way contribute to achieving this goal, Lazzarini told reporters in Brussels. UNRWA is the main humanitarian platform that provides support to all other humanitarian actors present in Gaza, he added.
In January, Lazzarini said Israel had shared with the agency data on the alleged involvement of some of its staff members in the October 7 Hamas attack and vowed to hold accountable anyone involved in "acts of terror." The United States, Finland, Italy, Australia, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom and some other countries have since suspended funding for UNRWA.
Last Friday, the ICJ ruled on provisional measures in South Africa's case against Israel over alleged genocide in the Gaza Strip. The court ordered Israel to take urgent measures to prevent acts of genocide and ensure the flow of humanitarian aid to the enclave. At the same time, the ICJ did not order an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
On October 7, 2023, the Gaza Strip-controlling Hamas movement launched a large-scale rocket attack against Israel and breached the border, attacking both civilian neighborhoods and military bases. As a result, over 1,200 people in Israel were killed and some 240 others abducted.
Israel launched retaliatory strikes, ordered a complete blockade of Gaza, and started a ground incursion into the Palestinian enclave with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages. Over 28,300 people have been killed so far in the Gaza Strip, local authorities said.
On November 24, Qatar mediated a deal between Israel and Hamas on a temporary truce and the exchange of some of the prisoners and hostages, as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. The ceasefire was extended several times and expired on December 1. More than 100 hostages are still believed to be held by Hamas in Gaza.