Egypt accuses West of “collective punishment” of Palestinian people

Cairo considers unacceptable the decision of a number of Western countries to suspend funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry made the relevant remarks during a telephone conversation with UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazarini, according to Anadolu.

The foreign minister expressed Egypt's solidarity with UNRWA.

The diplomat noted the important role played by UNRWA in providing basic services to Palestine refugees in accordance with the UN mandate.

“The decision by a number of countries to suspend funding for UNRWA at this difficult time is unacceptable,” Shoukry said.

According to him, such actions can be considered an attempt at “collective punishment” of the Palestinian people, as well as the almost 30,000 UNRWA personnel.

He noted that the decisions were made against the backdrop of allegations that a very limited number of the organization’s employees were involved in the events of October 7. The Minister added that UNRWA is currently undergoing a transparent process to investigate and verify this information.

The head of Egyptian diplomacy stressed that attacks on UNRWA at such a difficult time and attempts to limit its ability to carry out its mission in Gaza further reinforce the dangerous consequences of Israel's "policy of blockade, famine and collective punishment" against the Palestinians.