White House National Security spokesman John Kirby is standing up for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). This comes after Israel claims that at least 13 UNRWA employees in Gaza participated in the October 7 massacre in the country.
While acknowledging Israel’s complaints, Kirby also called for a thorough investigation into the allegations against the employees. However, some people are worried that more than 13 people may be involved in the attack.
In a press conference, reporters pressed Kirby about the claims by the Israeli government. “Do you have any reason to believe that that might have been more widespread – that there could be that later indicates that it was beyond those 13 people?” a reporter asked.
The spokesman replied, “I haven’t seen any information that affirmatively makes that case, that it’s more than that 13. That’s why an investigation is so dang important here so that you can look at the scope of the problem set.”
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“But you’ve got 13,000 UNRWA employees. You have 13,000 of them in Gaza alone, and as I said last week, let’s not impugn the good work of a whole agency because of the potential bad actions here by a small number,” he continued.
“I am not dismissing the seriousness of the allegations against those employees,” Kirby clarified. “And whether there’s gonna be more that will be found, hopefully, the investigation will give us more insight.”
Since news of these 13 people broke, several countries have stopped funding the UNRWA. The U.S., Germany, and some other countries have halted funding for the organization. Israel released evidence showing the involvement of the 13 members in the massacre of October 7th, 2023.
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However, the U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is urging these countries to resume their funding. “While I understand their concerns – I was myself horrified by these accusations – I strongly appeal to the governments that have suspended their contributions to, at least, guarantee the continuity of UNRWA’s operations,” Guterres said in a statement.
His concerns are valid, as the UNRWA supports the relief and human development of Palestinian refugees working in a number of areas. Examples of these fields are primary and vocational education, primary healthcare, relief and social services, infrastructure and camp improvement, microfinance, and emergency response.
Therefore, cutting off their funding is like removing most of their war aid. Many children have stopped going to schools in Palestine as there are no provisions available anymore. They also barely have food, and children are dying of starvation.
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What’s more, the healthcare available is very archaic. This is because they no longer have access to hospitals or health products. According to some news outlets, it is so bad that women are reusing menstrual pads and getting infections from them.
People are also dying from infections and minor cuts, which medical aid can treat easily. Therefore, Kirby and Guterres’ pleas are for humanity’s sake. The people of Gaza need this funding to survive.
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