Brussels, 1 March 2024 (dpa/MIA) - The European Commission released suspended EU funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) worth €50 million ($54 million) on Friday.

"Innocent Palestinians should not have to pay the price for the crimes of terrorist group Hamas," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement.

The EU executive arm also announced a further €68 million in aid for the region to be distributed by the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) and other organizations.

The commission suspended the funding for UNRWA and demanded an independent audit of the agency after Israel accused about a dozen employees of being involved in the October 7 terrorist attacks led by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Based on commitments from UNRWA to carry out this investigation and to review safeguards to prevent staff's involvement in terrorist activities, the commission said it decided to release the €50 million in funding meant for the month of March.

A further two disbursements of EU aid, each worth €16 million, is to be released pending UNRWA's success in implementing the review, the commission said. Restored funding for UNRWA amounts to €82 million.

Another €125 million in aid has already been allocated to Palestinians for 2024 with the first sums distributed on Friday, the commission added.

In addition to the new funding announced worth €68 million, this brings the total amount of EU aid for the Palestiians for the year to €275 million.

European Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi, who pushed unsuccessfully to suspend aid in the immediate aftermath of the October 7 attacks, said the EU executive arm was "diversifying its assistance for the innocent Palestinian people in Gaza." 

Várhelyi stressed that it was "essential that UNRWA delivers on the agreed measures and conditions for [the EU's] continued assistance."

This includes checking UNRWA staff for links to the October 7 attacks as well vetting staff during recruitment processes and on a continuous basis, he said.

Várhelyi said UNRWA was also to increase checks to protect assets from misuse.

As well as staff links to the October 7 attacks, the main UN aid agency for Palestinians in Gaza has been under heavy scrutiny after the Israeli military said it discovered a Hamas command tunnel running under UNRWA's headquarters.

Earlier von der Leyen said she was "deeply disturbed by images from Gaza" after Israeli soldiers opened fire on a crowd at an aid convoy.

"Every effort must be made to investigate what happened and ensure transparency," von der Leyen said on X, formerly Twitter.

MIA file photo