Norway 'strongly opposes' Israeli lawsuit against Unrwa

Norway has denounced an Israeli lawsuit against Unrwa, the UN Agency for Palestinian refugees, as “a politically motivated campaign aimed at weakening the agency.”

The lawsuit, which was filed by families of Israeli hostages in Gaza in New York on Monday, accuses the agency of assisting Hamas through the building of infrastructure and by paying employees in US dollars.

“We strongly oppose the attack on Unrwa and their staff, including the Norwegian diplomat who previously served as Deputy Commissioner-General of the agency,” Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said in a statement.

Eide said that the Norway "will continue to stand up for UNRWA and support their work,” adding that the agency is "the backbone of humanitarian efforts in Gaza.”