Germany will resume cooperation with the UN’s relief agency for Palestinians in Gaza (UNRWA) after the organization accepted the recommendations of an independent review of its neutrality.
The German foreign office said it was pleased that UNRWA said it would heed the recommendations of the review headed by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna and implement them “swiftly and in full.”
“In support of these reforms, the German government will soon continue its cooperation with UNRWA in Gaza, as Australia, Canada, Sweden and Japan, among others, have already done,” the foreign office said.
Some context: The review was launched after Israel alleged that a dozen of UNRWA’s 13,000 Gaza staffers were involved in Hamas’ October 7 attack.
It was not tasked with addressing the allegations but had a broader mandate to “assess whether UNRWA is doing everything within its power to ensure neutrality.” Israel’s allegations are still under investigation by the UN.
UNRWA fired several employees after the allegations and launched an investigation, promising that anyone involved in the October 7 attacks would be held accountable.
The allegations led the US and at least 13 of its allies to pull funding for the UN agency, which
