Progressive lawmakers and humanitarian aid groups are pressuring the Biden administration to resume funding for a United Nations aid group, which saw a dozen of its members accused of participating in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israeli soil.
Earlier this week, Israel accused a dozen U.N. Relief and Works Agency employees — which provides a wide range of aid and services to Palestinian families — of taking part in abductions and killings during the attack. Soon after, top donors including the U.S. and Germany halted funding for the group pending the outcome of an investigation.
The pause has alarmed progressives and those worried about humanitarian conditions in Gaza. Proponents of resuming aid say that a sustained pause could be catastrophic for millions of people who rely on the assistance provided by UNRWA. Washington has provided nearly $1 billion to the agency in the past three years, including $296 million in 2023 alone.
The latest to join the chorus of those calling on President Joe Biden to reconsider is Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who blasted the administration for pausing funding.
“Obviously, it’s not acceptable for any of the 13,000 UNRWA employees in Gaza to be involved with Hamas, and allegations against the 12 people charged must be investigated,” Sanders said in a statement. "However, we cannot allow millions to suffer because of the actions of 12 people. The U.S. and other countries must restore funding to stave off this humanitarian catastrophe.”
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), the first Palestinian American woman to serve in Congress and the most outspoken lawmaker in support of Palestinians since Israel began its military operation in the Gaza Strip, echoed Sanders’ position.
“To take concerning allegations as fact without any investigation, especially in light of the Israeli government’s well-documented history of using torture and obtaining forced confessions, as a means to suspend life-saving aid demonstrates the emptiness of the Biden administration’s claims to care about Palestinian lives,” Tlaib told POLITICO in a statement.
In a tweet Monday night, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) called cutting off support to UNWRA — which is the primary source of humanitarian aid to the 2.3 million people in the Gaza Strip — “unacceptable.”
“The U.S. should restore aid immediately,” she wrote.
National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby on Monday urged an investigation into allegations that UNRWA employees participated in the Oct. 7 attacks to take place soon. He also said UNRWA shouldn’t be entirely blamed for the actions of a few even as he reaffirmed that U.S. contributions would be suspended pending the investigation's results.
"Let's not impugn the good work of a whole agency, because of the potential bad actions here by a small number,” he told reporters.
The National Security Council and the U.S. office to the U.N. did not respond to POLITICO’s request for comment on the matter.
Humanitarian aid organizations have been sounding the alarm to the administration and lawmakers about the impact that the funding pause could have on the situation in Gaza, said Leslie Archambeault, managing director of humanitarian policy for Save the Children U.S.
Twenty groups signed a letter on Monday urging countries to reverse the funding suspensions, including Save the Children, ActionAid and Oxfam.
“Everyone recognizes the gravity of this situation and the real life impacts that this has on people in desperate need in Gaza,” Archambeault said.
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