US Congress bans US funds to UNRWA until March 2025

An agreement reached by US congressional leaders and the White House on a massive bill funding military, State Department and a range of other government programs will continue a ban on US funding for UNRWA, the main UN agency for Palestinians, until March 2025, two sources said on Tuesday.

President Joe Biden's administration said in January it was temporarily pausing new funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) after Israel accused 12 of the agency's 13,000 employees in Gaza of participating in the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas attack.

The US Senate passed legislation last month cutting off funding for the agency, part of a $95 billion bill providing aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan that has stalled in the House of Representatives.

Backers of the aid have been trying to get it restored, calling on Washington to support the relief body as aid groups work to ward off famine in Gaza.

The two sources familiar with the agreement said the funding would be blocked for a year and that details of alternative efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza would be discussed after the legislation is made public.

The White House and congressional leaders declined to comment on details of the agreement until texts of the spending bills are released.

The UN has launched an investigation into the allegations against the UNRWA staff, and the agency fired some staff after Israel provided it with information.

The US, UNRWA's largest donor, providing $300 million to $400 million annually, said it wants to see the results of that inquiry and corrective measures taken before it will consider resuming funding.

Reuters