Germany to resume cooperation with Palestinian UNRWA agency

Displaced Palestinians, who fled their homes due to Israeli strikes, wash clothes as they shelter in a UNRWA-affiliated school, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Deir Al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip April 23, 2024. (Reuters)
Short Url
Updated 24 April 2024
Follow

Germany to resume cooperation with Palestinian UNRWA agency

BERLIN: The German government plans to resume cooperation with the UN agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) in Gaza, the foreign and development ministries said in a joint statement on Wednesday.
The decision follows a review by former French foreign minister Catherine Colonna into UNRWA’s ability to ensure neutrality and respond to any breaches after Israel’s allegations that 12 of its staff took part in the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attacks.

A separate UN probe is investigating the Israeli claims.
The German ministries urged UNRWA to swiftly implement the report’s recommendations, including strengthening its internal audit function and improving external oversight of project management.
“In support of these reforms, the German government will soon continue its cooperation with UNRWA in Gaza, as Australia, Canada, Sweden and Japan, among others, have already done,” said the ministries in the statement.


Qatar and Turkiye send thousands of tons of aid to Sudan

Updated 19 sec ago
Follow

Qatar and Turkiye send thousands of tons of aid to Sudan

  • Shipment delivered through partnership between Qatar Fund for Development and Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority

MERSIN, Turkiye: Qatar and Turkiye have dispatched a humanitarian aid vessel carrying more than 2,400 metric tons of relief supplies to Sudan, it was announced this weekend.

The aid is aimed at supporting vulnerable communities affected by conflict, food insecurity and limited humanitarian access, the aid agencies involved said on Saturday.

The shipment, delivered through a partnership between the Qatar Fund for Development and the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority, includes food, clothing, tents, blankets and essential household items for displaced and at-risk populations across Sudan.

The dispatch ceremony in Mersin was attended by Attila Toros, the governor of Mersin, alongside AFAD Director Ali Hamza, Qatar’s First Secretary in Turkiye Abdulaziz Al-Hammadi, and a QFD delegation led by Yousef Al-Mulla, acting manager of the humanitarian aid department.

The QFD said it remains committed to easing human suffering and supporting stability and resilience in communities impacted by conflict, and that the initiative highlighted the close cooperation between Qatar and Turkiye in providing coordinated, life-saving humanitarian assistance and responding to urgent needs in crisis-affected regions.