The Hamas Movement called in a statement issued Monday on international community and the United Nations (UN) to support the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) amid its financial crisis.
The group further warned that UNRWA’s financial troubles threatened to “adversely affect the lives of five million Palestinian refugees who rely heavily on the services provided by UNRWA”.
“The UN should take a responsible decision by approving the agency’s budget as part of its primary budget” the Movement added.
It went on to stress the need to find “radical solutions” to the refugee agency’s chronic financial woes.
“It is unacceptable that Palestinian refugees continue to suffer; that their lives must depend on international political calculations and racist U.S. decisions that favor the Israeli occupation at the expense of [Palestinian refugees’] inalienable rights” the statement read.
Hamas also called on Arab and Muslim states to “live up to their pledges” and contribute to the funding of the refugee agency.
The statement came few hours before the refugee agency held an international conference later Monday in hopes of drumming up contributions from UN member states.
