Who are the 12 UN officials whom Israel accuses of helping Hamas?

In a joint statement published on Monday, some of the world's major humanitarian entities – such as Oxfam, ActionAid and Save the Children – called on donors to once again release resources to the UN agency.

They say that “suspension of funding from donor countries will affect life-saving assistance to more than two million civilians, more than half of whom are children, who depend on UNRWA assistance in Gaza.” They warned that “the population faces famine, imminent famine, and disease outbreaks in light of the ongoing indiscriminate Israeli bombing and deliberate denial of aid in Gaza.”

“We are appalled by the reckless decision to cut off the lifelines of entire populations by some of the same countries that have called for increased aid in Gaza and the protection of humanitarian workers as they carry out their work,” they said. They pointed out that this decision comes at a time when the International Court of Justice ordered immediate and effective measures to be taken to ensure the provision of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza.

For them, countries that have suspended funds “risk depriving Palestinians in the region of basic food, water, aid, medical supplies, education and protection.”

The authorities also state that since October 7, 152 UNRWA staff have been killed and 145 UNRWA facilities have been damaged by bombing. “If the funding suspension is not reversed, we could see a complete collapse of the already constrained humanitarian response in Gaza,” they added.