Italy to resume UNRWA funding with €5 million
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Italy's foreign minister reveals that "five million will be allocated to UNRWA" and 30 million euros will be designated to Italy's "Food for Gaza" in coordination with UN aid agencies.
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Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks to reporters during the final press conference at the G7 Foreign Ministers meeting on Capri Island, Italy, Friday, April 19, 2024. (AP)
Italy announced on Saturday that it will resume funding to UNRWA, the country's foreign minister said as he met with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa.
"Italy has decided to resume financing specific projects intended for assistance to Palestinian refugees, but only after rigorous controls that guarantee that not even a penny risks ending up supporting terrorism," Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said, adding that Mustafa was notified "that the government has arranged new funding for the Palestinian population, for a total of 35 million euros".
In his statement, Tajani revealed that "five million will be allocated to UNRWA" as part of the aforementioned amount, and the remaining 30 million euros will be given to Italy's "Food for Gaza" in coordination with UN aid agencies.
Mustafa was also due to meet with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Italy joins the list of countries who recently resumed funding to the UN agency after "Israel" failed to provide evidence of UNRWA being involved with Hamas.
Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Japan, Sweden, and the EU have reinstated funding for the organization.
More countries join the roster
Last week, Austria resumed funding and earmarked around $3.7 million for UNRWA this year, with the first payment scheduled to be made in the summer.
Last month, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa announced that Japan is lifting its suspension and giving UNRWA about $35 million in aid as originally planned.
Read more: 75% of Gaza's population forcibly displaced by 'Israel': UNRWA
UN experts expressed in a statement last week that they are "disappointed" that certain governments have yet to restart their assistance for UNRWA.
"The independent review ordered by the UN Secretary-General, following an increase of allegations since the onset of the military assault on Gaza in October 2023, has shown that the claim that significant numbers of UNRWA employees have ties with 'terrorist organizations' remains unsubstantiated," the experts said.
According to the experts, UNRWA has been a political target for some months, with UN officials being verbally and physically abused, especially since the funding freeze has "already severely curtailed the agency's operations in Gaza" for 2.2 million people in critical need.
