UNRWA funding freezes risk ‘aiding’ deaths in Gaza: Saudi official

Freezing funds to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees risks “aiding” the deaths of civilians in Gaza, the head of Saudi Arabia’s humanitarian agency said yesterday.
Several countries — including the US, Britain, Germany and Japan — have suspended funding to the UNRWA agency in response to Israeli allegations that some of its staff members participated in the October first week storming of Israel by Hamas fighters.
The UN has sacked the 12 UNRWA staff members accused by Israel of involvement in the October first week storming and said the tunnel claim should be investigated once the conflict is over.
“We should not penalise the innocent people, millions of people who are living in Gaza, because of an accusation on a handful of people,” Dr Abdullah al-Rabeeah, head of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre, said in an interview yesterday.
“If you have close to 2mn people living in a small place... and then the funding for the food and for the health basics is stopped, basically you are calling for them to live in, actually, disaster and also aiding in their death.” Rabeeah, who is also an adviser to the Saudi Royal Court, spoke as Gaza braced for an expected Israeli incursion into the crowded southern city of Rafah where more than a million Palestinians are trapped.
He warned that such an operation would produce “chaos” and potentially trigger the “complete stoppage” of aid trucks.
“We will see thousands of people losing their lives. Now people talk about the threat of epidemics, the threat of famine, and you name it. So we don’t want to see any civilian get lost because of things that can be avoided,” he said.
Saudi Arabia has never recognised Israel.
At least 28,473 people, mostly women and children, have died in Israel’s relentless bombardment and ground offensive in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
While US President Joe Biden’s administration has voiced optimism that normalisation can be revived, Saudi Arabia said last week it had told Washington it would not establish ties with Israel until an independent Palestinian state is “recognised”, and Israeli forces leave Gaza.
Rabeeah said any deal should allow humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza “without any obstacles”.
Saudi Arabia has sent 384 aid trucks and 20 ambulances into Gaza, he said, though he noted that an even greater amount of aid was stuck in Egypt, unable to cross into Gaza because of cumbersome regulations.
“We have newborn incubators — this was not allowed to enter Gaza. So as a doctor, how would you imagine a newborn will survive if you deny him the basic need of an incubator?” he said.
“Some of the X-ray machines will not be allowed... How can you diagnose a patient without diagnostic tools?” Altogether the Saudi agency has sent 5,795 tonnes of aid to support Gaza.
Rabeeah said that while reconstruction in Gaza still seemed far off, he hoped Saudi volunteers would participate directly if safety conditions permit.
“We hope to see our health workers helping the people of Gaza as much as they would be able also to help the people of Ukraine and other parts of the world,” he said.
“Saudi Arabia is one of the top donors globally, and we will be one of those who will be active and in the front line when it comes to rebuilding of Gaza.”