Norway and Ireland will continue funding Unrwa, say foreign ministers

Norway and Ireland have confirmed that they will not follow several other countries in cutting funding to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa). 

The US, UK, Finland, Italy, Canada and Australia suspended financing after Israel alleged that 12 of the agency's 13,000 employees were involved in Hamas's attack on southern Israel on 7 October. 

Unrwa said it had severed ties with a number of employees and launched an investigation into the matter.

"The situation for the population in Gaza is catastrophic, and Unrwa is the most important humanitarian organisation there," said Norwegian foreign minister  Espen Barth Eide, adding that Oslo supported the agency's investigation. 

Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Micheal Martin said he had full confidence in Unrwa's decision to suspend suspected staff members and launch a probe. 

"Unrwa's 13,000 employees provide life saving assistance to 2.3m people and at incredible personal cost - with over 100 staff killed in last 4 months. [Ireland] provided Unrwa €18m in 2023 and will continue our support in 2024," Martin wrote on X.