The “Israeli” Foreign Ministry denounced the European Union’s decision to restore and increase funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), labeling it as “disappointing”.

The EU announced on Friday that it has allocated an extra EUR 68 million for UNRWA on top of the EUR 82 million already assigned for the year 2024.

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“The disappointing decision gives legitimacy to UNRWA employees’ involvement in terror activities and cooperation with Hamas,” the “Israeli” Foreign Ministry said in a statement, cited by “The Times of Israel”.

“Israel is committed to transferring humanitarian aid to Gaza and working with other UN agencies and additional actors to ensure the distribution of aid to the Strip,” it further claimed in the statement.

President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, stated that the EU’s decision to boost UNRWA’s funding by a further EUR 68 million comes due to the “terrible conditions faced by Palestinian people in Gaza, which puts their lives at risk because of a lack of access to sufficient food and other basic needs.”

In addition to UNRWA’s funding, the EU has allocated EUR 125 million for humanitarian aid for Palestinians.

Several countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Austria, Finland, and Japan temporarily suspended their funding to the US agency after the Israeli Occupation accused 12 employees of involvement in the events of Oct. 7, 2023.

UNRWA Commissioner-General, Philippe Lazzarini, warned earlier in February that the suspension of funding by several countries would put the agency's activities throughout the region at significant risk, starting from this month - March.

In a letter directed to the President of the UN General Assembly, who grants the agency its mandate, Lazzarini said the agency’s ability to fulfill that mandate “is now seriously threatened”.

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