The WHO spokesperson on Tuesday urged countries to continue funding UNRWA.

"The discussion right now is much of a distraction of what is going on every day, every hour in Gaza," Christian Lindmeier told a UN press briefing in Geneva.

Lindmeier was referring to recent allegations by Tel Aviv that some of UNRWA's staff were involved in the attack on occupied Palestinian territories by the Hamas resistance group on Oct. 7.

Arguing that these claims should be investigated, he said they currently serve as a "distraction" from measures preventing an entire nation's access to food, water, and electricity.

They also distract from the "continuous shelling" of Palestinians in Gaza, even in designated safe areas, as well as from attacks on "shelters, schools, hospitals," he added.

At least 12 countries — Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Canada, Finland, Australia, UK, Netherlands, US, France, Austria, and Japan — have suspended funding for UNRWA, which was established in 1949 to help Palestinian refugees across the Middle East.

Read More:

The Israeli regime launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, killing at least 26,637 Palestinians and injuring 65,387.

The Israeli offensive has left 85% of Gaza’s population internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Source: Anadolu Agency