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\u201cThere is no other organization that has the reach, the tentacles and the distribution capabilities that UNRWA has in Gaza. That\u2019s just a fact,\u201d said John F. Kirby, <\/span>the White House National Security Council spokesman.<\/p>\n\u201cObviously UNRWA is going to have to reform itself, clearly, because that\u2019s just unacceptable behavior by anybody,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
U.N. officials said they had fired at least nine of the original 12 employees accused of participating in the Oct. 7 attack or its aftermath and that two others were dead. Ant\u00f3nio Guterres, the U.N. secretary-general who described himself as \u201chorrified by these accusations,\u201d ordered an investigation into the agency and has implored those nations that suspended their aid payments to reconsider.<\/p>\n
Over the past two weeks, Canada, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland and Australia, which suspended funding for UNRWA after Israel\u2019s accusations were made public in January, have said that they would renew it. A host of other countries, including Germany, UNRWA\u2019s second-biggest backer, are expected to make similar announcements in the coming months, according to five European diplomats, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to communicate with the news media.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, a Saudi-funded humanitarian agency pledged to increase its funding for the agency by $40 million, according to a statement.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe welcome the decisions of donor countries to restore funding, but we are not out of the woods,\u201d said Juliette Touma, the communications director for UNRWA.<\/p>\n
But while America\u2019s allies look for ways to fund and potentially reform the agency \u2014 like stepping up enforcement of its rules that require employees to maintain neutrality <\/span>\u2014 Washington is seeking other alternatives.<\/p>\nHumanitarian officials, however, have questioned whether other U.N. agencies or smaller relief organizations are capable of distributing large amounts of aid while the war between Israel and Hamas is raging.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Israeli officials recently met in Washington with members of Congress and the Biden administration and shared new evidence that they said showed UNRWA employees had connections with militant groups in Gaza, according to an Israeli official with knowledge of the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation. The New York Times has not seen the material Israeli officials presented to members of Congress. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Earlier, he said, Israeli officials shared materials with visiting investigators from the U.N. Office of Internal Oversight who are conducting an inquiry into whether UNRWA employees have ties to Hamas. He said Israel was committed to ensuring the continued flow of aid to Gaza, but not through UNRWA.<\/p>\n
Earlier in the war, the distribution of food aid was primarily overseen by UNRWA. But more recently, a patchwork of aid agencies, convoys operated by local businessmen and airdrops by foreign governments have become involved in the delivery of desperately needed food.<\/p>\n
Distribution, particularly in northern Gaza, has been slowed by lawlessness, violence and Israel denying convoys entry.<\/p>\n
At least twice in recent weeks, attempts to distribute food ended in bloodshed as hungry Palestinians seeking aid were killed. In the deadliest such event, more than 100 people were killed in Gaza City on Feb. 29, according to local health authorities, who attributed the deaths to Israeli troops firing on the crowd. The Israeli military acknowledged opening fire, but said most of the deaths had occurred when people stampeded or were run over by trucks.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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On Monday, the U.N.-backed organization that monitors food insecurity warned that \u201cfamine is imminent\u201d in Gaza.<\/p>\n
Both Republicans and Democrats have proposed the World Food Program as an alternative, according to UNRWA supporters who recently visited Congress and spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss their private meetings.<\/p>\n
But the World Food Program, or W.F.P., has fewer than 100 staff members in Gaza compared to the 13,000 on UNRWA\u2019s payroll, 3,000 of whom have kept working during the war. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe World Food Program\u2019s mandate is to deliver food assistance to hungry and vulnerable people,\u201d Mr. McGoldrick said. \u201cWe are ready to further step up our food assistance in Gaza, with the necessary funding. We cannot replace the critical functions of UNRWA in Gaza, including the running of shelters and health clinics.\u201d<\/p>\n
Israel has also engaged with the W.F.P., along with other organizations, about playing a larger role in Gaza, according to the Israeli official who discussed the recent Washington meetings, and who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the deliberations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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But moving employees from one organization to another would be complicated, said Mr. McGoldrick, the U.N. coordinator. For example, W.F.P.\u2019s employees in Gaza are generally paid about three times as much as their UNRWA counterparts, he said.<\/p>\n
As Washington looks for alternatives to UNRWA, other countries have decided to restore their funding, based on reassurances the agency has given about improving its employee vetting process and its enforcement of ethics rules.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Those donor nations, according to UNRWA officials and the European diplomats, are seeking additional information from the U.N. office overseeing the inquiry into Israel\u2019s allegations, as well as the results of an independent review being conducted by Catherine Colonna, a former French foreign minister. Ms. Colonna is expected to release an interim update on Wednesday and her final report on April 20.<\/p>\n
Many European countries are looking to see that UNRWA is taking the investigation seriously, one of the European diplomats said, adding that evidence of \u201ccredible efforts\u201d to reform was important. \u201cThe overall sense is things are going quite well,\u201d the diplomat said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n