The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs described today, Saturday, March 9, 2024, Canada's and Sweden's decision to resume funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (“UNRWA”) as a “grave mistake,” according to Sky News Arabia.

Canada and Sweden announced the resumption of funding for “UNRWA” after suspending it following Israel's accusation of some employees' involvement in the October 7 attack.

Resumption of funding

The two countries were among 16 nations that suspended their funding for the organization after Israeli accusations of the involvement of some of its members in the October 7 attack, prompting the United Nations to launch an investigation.

Sweden stated that it is in the process of sending 200 million Swedish Krona ($19 million) as a start to resuming funding after the organization agreed to impose more oversight on spending and its staff.

200 million Krona

A statement issued by Stockholm said: “The Swedish government allocated 400 million Swedish Krona for UNRWA in 2024, and today's decision concerns 200 million Krona as the first installment of these funds.”

This came after Canada announced the resumption of funding for UNRWA in conjunction with the ongoing investigation into the allegations related to the organization's employees. The Canadian statement said that the funding will resume while investigations with the employees continue.

Data from 2022 shows that Canada is the eleventh highest contributing country to UNRWA's budget for 2022.