U.N. officials said famine was now "inevitable" in Gaza as they were joined by aid groups Sunday to call on countries to reconsider their decision to pause funding for the U.N. refugee agency for Palestinians.
They warned that the agency's life-saving aid for some 2 million people in Gaza was in jeopardy.
At least nine countries, including top donors the United States and Germany, have paused funding for the U.N. refugee agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) following Israeli allegations that some of its staff were involved in the Oct. 7 Hamas incursion that killed 1,140 people.
"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," U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Sunday, vowing to hold to account "any U.N. employee involved in acts of terror."
Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA commissioner-general, also urged countries to "reconsider their decisions before UNRWA is forced to suspend its humanitarian response."
More than 26,000 people have been killed in Israel's war on Gaza, the enclave's Health Ministry said. With flows of aid like food and medicine into the territory just a trickle of pre-conflict levels, deaths from preventable diseases as well as the risk of famine are growing, aid officials say.
Since the Oct. 7 conflict began, most of Gaza's 2.3 million people have become reliant on the aid UNRWA provides, including about 1 million who have fled Israeli bombardments sheltering in its facilities.
'Collective punishment'
Palestine once again denounced the decision Sunday, calling it a "collective punishment" meted out to the Palestinian people.
In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that "suspending UNRWA funding and continuing support for Israel in the genocide of our people are collective punishments and miserable double standards."
The ministry said the decisions of several countries are "extremely politicized, disproportionate and unjustified, especially in light of the U.N. Secretary-General's decision to conduct the necessary investigations into the Israeli allegations."
The Department of Palestinian Affairs, meanwhile, called on "all countries that suspended their funding to UNRWA to rescind their decisions that represent a collective punishment of the Palestinian refugee community."
It also pointed out that "incitement against UNRWA and distorting its reputation is an Israeli goal aiming at tightening the grip on our people, especially in the Gaza Strip to continue starving, exterminating, and forcibly displacing them."
In a separate statement, the Palestinian National Initiative Movement denounced the decision to suspend financial aid to the UN agency, saying it is "based on Israeli lies and allegations against some UNRWA employees."
Famine 'inevitable'
A U.N. appointed expert on the right to food Michael Fakhri warned on social media platform X that the funding cuts meant that famine was now "inevitable" in Gaza.
Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Saturday called for agency to be replaced and urged for more countries to cut funding. Israel has not yet publicly given details of UNRWA staff members' alleged involvement in the attack on Israel.
Deputy U.N. spokesperson Farhan Haq declined to respond directly to Katz's remarks but said UNRWA overall had a strong record.
Guterres said 12 staff members had been implicated and that nine had been terminated, one was dead and the identities of the other two were being clarified.
There was no immediate sign of countries' heeding the U.N. call to reinstate aid. However, Norway and Ireland said they would continue funding the agency.
UNRWA was set up to help refugees of the 1948 war at Israel's founding and provides education, health and aid services to Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon.