Italy to resume financial support to UNRWA: FM
May 26, 2024
Rome [Italy], May 26: Italy will resume its financial support to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Saturday.
The announcement came after Tajani and Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni talked with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa about the situation in Gaza.
In a statement after their meeting, Meloni's office said: "Italy's support for all ongoing efforts towards a sustainable ceasefire, the release of all hostages in the hands of Hamas, and a step change in the provision of humanitarian aid to the Gaza population."
In a separate statement to the press, Tajani said the Italian government decided to offer the Palestinians a new fund of 35 million euros (37.9 million U.S. dollars).
Five million euros of the funding will be allocated to UNRWA and the rest to the "Food for Gaza" initiative, which is a project launched by Italy in cooperation with the United Nations and the Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and aimed at delivering humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians trapped in Gaza.
In late January, Italy, along with some other countries, suspended all financial support to UNRWA following Israel's allegations that some UNRWA staff were linked to the Hamas attack in Israel on Oct. 7.
Israel's allegations were later assessed by an independent inquiry led by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, which concluded Israel did not provide any evidence to support this claim. On April 24, Germany announced it would soon resume cooperation with UNRWA. (1 euro = 1.08 U.S. dollar)
Source: Xinhua
