Swiss government proposes CHF10 million UNRWA donation

After months of debate, the government has proposed a donation of CHF10 million ($11 million) for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, ministers said on Wednesday. Some CHF20 million was initially foreseen. This payment is in response to UNRWA’s appeal for humanitarian aid, ministers said in a press release. It is intended exclusively for Gaza and to cover the organisation’s most urgent needs for the rest of 2024: food, water, shelter, primary healthcare and logistics. Some 2.3 million people in Gaza, including 1.7 million displaced persons, are dependent on emergency aid, and the UN is warning of the imminent risk of famine. The Swiss government said it “recognises this emergency situation”. + Read more: the allegations upending UNRWA’s efforts in Gaza UNRWA has been in turmoil since Israel accused the agency and some of its employees of directly supporting Hamas during the bloody attacks on Israel on October 7. Various donor countries suspended their contributions to UNRWA in ...