Norway to stand by UNRWA amid false Israeli claims
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Norway's representative office to the Palestinian Authority posted on X that amid the "catastrophic," situation in Gaza, "UNRWA is the most important humanitarian organization there."
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A United Nations worker prepares aid for distribution to Palestinians at a UNRWA warehouse in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza Strip, on Oct. 23, 2023. (AP)
Norway's representative office to the Palestinian Authority stated on Saturday that it will continue to support the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), despite false Israeli allegations that its staff was involved in Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7.
The office posted a statement on X in which it noted that amid the "catastrophic," situation in Gaza, "UNRWA is the most important humanitarian organization there. Norway continues our support for the Palestinian people through UNRWA. International support for Palestine is needed now more than ever."
The situation in Gaza is catastrophic, and @UNRWA is the most important humanitarian organization there. Norway continues our support for the Palestinian people through UNRWA. International support for Palestine is needed now more than ever
— Norway in Palestine (@NorwayPalestine) January 27, 2024
The Norwegian mission stated that claims of UNRWA staff participating in the attacks were "very distressing" and applauded UNRWA's investigation and asked for complete openness.
"We need to distinguish between what individuals may have done, and what UNRWA stands for. The organization’s tens of thousands of employees in Gaza, the West Bank and the region are playing a crucial role in distributing aid, saving lives and safeguarding basic needs and rights," it explained.
According to the Palestinian resistance factions, "Israel's" attempts to incite against the roles of international relief agencies and institutions in Gaza are aimed at cutting their funding.
On Saturday, the Palestinian factions called the accusations against the UNRWA, an attempt to incite countries around the world to cut off funding for the organization, urging the UN bodies and international institutions not to respond to the false allegations.
The US, Canada, Britain, Australia, Germany, and Italy have temporarily suspended their funding for UNRWA in Gaza, due to false Israeli allegations of the agency’s employees participating in Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7, 2023.
Hamas condemned the pause in funding in a statement and called on the UN “not to yield to the blackmail and threats of the Israeli occupation, and its efforts to cut off the lifelines of the Palestinian people.
WHO denies Israeli accusation of 'collusion' with Hamas
The World Health Organization has dismissed "Israel's" accusation that it is collaborating with the Palestinian Resistance, Hamas, by disregarding Israeli "proof" of "military use" of hospitals in the Gaza Strip.
According to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, such claims might harm the organization's workers on the ground.
WHO refutes Israel's accusation at the Executive Board meeting yesterday that WHO is in “collusion” with Hamas and is “turning a blind eye” to the suffering of hostages being held in Gaza. Such false claims are harmful and can endanger our staff who are risking their lives to…
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) January 26, 2024
Tedros was responding to charges made Thursday by Israeli Ambassador Meirav Eilon Shahar at a UN health agency board meeting.
Ghebreyesus refuted the false accusations and called them "harmful" to workers involved in Gaza who are “risking their lives to serve the vulnerable."
“As a United Nations agency, WHO is impartial and is working for the health and well-being of all people.”
WFP spox: IOF imposes systematic restrictions on aid in north Gaza
A spokesperson for the United Nations' World Food Programme, Abeer Etefa, stated that "Israel" has imposed restrictions on the WFP program in Gaza and tightened restrictions on the entry of aid to the northern part of the Strip specifically.
The spokesperson for the United Nations World Food Programme, Abeer Etefa, affirmed on Tuesday that 'Israel" is systematically imposing restrictions on the access of humanitarian missions to the northern part of Gaza.
Etefa mentioned that it is challenging to reach places in need of assistance, especially in the northern part of the Strip, noting that very small quantities of food and aid have reached northern Gaza.
She also noted that the latest missions of the World Food Programme for food assistance to northern Gaza were executed on January 11th and 13 of this month.
She pointed out the existence of "systematic restrictions on entry into northern Gaza, not only on the World Food Programme."
As if this was not enough cruelty from the Israeli occupation, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor previously reported that the Israeli occupation forces are not only starving Palestinians in northern Gaza but have also killed dozens of individuals who tried to receive the meager aid that is arriving there, continuing the genocide that the occupation has been committing against Palestinians since 7 October.
The human rights organization demanded that the United Nations agencies involved be held accountable for their persistent failure to guarantee suitable channels for providing the Palestinian people with humanitarian aid.
