Australia has paused its funding of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) after several UN employees were accused of taking part in the October 7 Hamas attack that killed 1200 Israelis and took 240 people hostage.Foreign minister Penny Wong announced on Saturday that Australia would join nine other countries including the US and Canada, in pausing its funding as it waits for an “immediate response” from the humanitarian organisation.On Friday, the UNRWA announced the contracts of staff members accused of being involved in the attacks had been immediately terminated, but there are no specifics yet on the number of employees alleged to have been involved.The decision to pause funding from Wong came on the same weekend that negotiations began in Paris between the US, Qatar, Israel, and Egypt for a ceasefire in Gaza. Also on Friday, the International Court of Justice issued a set of preliminary orders that would place constraints on Israel’s military operations. These orders, which passed with a 15-to-2 majority, are part of the alleged genocide case brought against Israel by South Africa. It ruled Israel could still “defend itself” against ongoing Hamas attacks in Gaza but must now conduct operations consistently with the orders.It was only two weeks ago that Foreign Minister Wong announced an almost doubling in humanitarian aid for the Gaza region, pledging $21.5 million in new funding. $6 million of that was allocated for the UNRWA but will now be paused.Wong said Australia would “continue to support the people of Gaza and work to provide humanitarian assistance” and said the UNRWA “does vital, life-saving work”. More than 25,000 people have been killed in Gaza since October 7.
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