In response to allegations made by Israel that at least 12 staff members of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) were involved in a Hamas attack on Israel, an independent review will be conducted by former French foreign minister, Catherine Colonna. The review was ordered by Philippe Lazzarini, the head of UNRWA, before the Israeli allegations were published, but it comes at a crucial time as the agency is facing a significant funding shortfall amid a growing humanitarian emergency in Gaza.

The accusations made by Israel have led to a mass exodus of key donors, including the United States and the United Kingdom, leaving UNRWA in dire need of funding. To address this pressing issue, Spain has announced that it will provide an additional €3.5 million in aid. Colonna, a highly experienced diplomat who previously served as the French ambassador to the UK, will be assisted in her investigation by three Scandinavian development think tanks: the Raoul Wallenberg Institute in Sweden, the Chr Michelsens Institute in Norway, and the Danish Institute for Human Rights.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently claimed that Hamas had "totally infiltrated" UNRWA, which operates in Gaza under the authority of Hamas. With a staff of 40,000, including 13,000 in Gaza, UNRWA faces challenges in recruitment due to elements that are hostile to Israel. Additionally, it has to maintain a working relationship with Hamas to deliver aid and educational services in the region. Israel alleges that up to 10% of UNRWA's staff are supporters of Hamas and calls for the organization's dissolution.

Lazzarini is currently visiting three Gulf states to seek support after funding from international donors was suspended. He has warned that if funding does not resume, UNRWA may be forced to cease its operations by the end of February. The United Kingdom has announced that it is pausing funding rather than cutting it entirely, seeing no alternative to UNRWA for delivering aid and rejecting claims that it is responsible for publishing antisemitic textbooks. The UK's next funding payment is scheduled for the spring.

In response to the Israeli allegations, UNRWA took immediate action and dismissed the 12 staff members identified as being involved in the October 7th attack. Concurrently, the UN's internal review into Israel's specific allegations is being conducted by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services.

Private sources within UNRWA express disappointment over the fact that many donors reacted swiftly to Israel's accusations without waiting for them to be substantiated. During a press conference in Poland, the EU's foreign affairs chief, Josep Borrell, expressed support for UNRWA, stating that the European Union has not suspended its funding but rather requested an audit to better understand the agency's operations.

The upcoming independent review, alongside the parallel internal review conducted by the UN, aims to shed light on the accusations and assess the functioning of UNRWA. The outcome of these reviews will have significant implications for the agency's future operations and its ability to address the urgent humanitarian needs in Gaza.