Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo confirmed the continued support that his country provides to UNRWA: “It is certain that people who do not have a roof over their heads will receive the support they desperately need.” The media in Brussels reported De Croo confirming that Belgium will not suspend its support. UNRWA of the United Nations.
Prime Minister De Croo confirmed this in a telephone conversation with Sigrid Kaag, the UN Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs and Reconstruction in Gaza. According to media sources, De Croo certainly does not want to deprive “people without a roof over their heads, children without educational opportunities, and families suffering from famine of the support they desperately need.”
Several countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada and Japan, have announced that they will suspend their funding from UNRWA. The agency has been coordinating aid, education and health care for Palestinians for decades, including in the Gaza Strip but also in Palestinian refugee camps in the region, but according to Israel, at least twelve of the thirty thousand regional staff were involved with Hamas. Terrorism in Israel on October 7.
The Belgian government had previously stated that it would not suspend support for UNRWA at the present time. Our country wants to wait for the results of further research. During the call, Prime Minister De Croo urged Sigrid Kaag to conduct a “thorough, prompt and independent investigation” into the allegations regarding UNRWA staff allegedly involved in the terrorist attack on 7 October. He added: "If criminal offenses are committed, those involved must be prosecuted."
According to the website of the Belgian Flemish-language newspaper Nieuwsblad, Belgium does not plan to pay any amounts to UNRWA in the coming weeks. The Prime Minister said, "We look forward to the results of the investigation. The government will evaluate its position based on this investigation."