Geneva, 1 February 2024 (dpa/MIA) – The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) will have to cease work in four weeks if the funds pledged to it are not paid out, the agency said in Geneva on Thursday.

UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini said 16 countries had suspended payments amounting to $440 million, including major contributors such as the United States and Germany, following allegations that UNRWA staff had been directly involved in the October 7 attacks on Israel.

"If the funding remains suspended, we will most likely be forced to shut down our operations by end of February not only in Gaza but also across the region," Lazzarini said.

UNRWA Gaza Strip director Thomas White said: "It's difficult to imagine that Gazans will survive this crisis without UNRWA."

In Israel, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant accused UNRWA of acting as a conduit for international funding to terrorist organizations.

Speaking to a UN delegation, Gallant said the organization had lost any legitimacy to continue to exist in its current form. He termed UNRWA "Hamas with a facelift."

UN Secretary General António Guterres has pledged to clear up the allegations and said that the employment of a number of staff had been terminated.

MIA file photo