View of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) building in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Photo: Abed Rahim Khatib / Flash90.

i24 News – While several countries this week announced a suspension of funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the United Arab Emirates declared that they would allocate additional funds for the Gaza Strip’s reconstruction, according to state media.

The UAE promised $5 million for the UN agency dedicated solely to helping Palestinian refugees, despite recent revelations that its employees were involved in the Hamas-led October 7 massacres in southern Israel.

European countries, from the UK to Germany, as well as the United States and Australia all froze funding to UNRWA amid reviews in the aid agency and its employees.

While some have pushed for a complete shutdown of the agency, including U.S. lawmakers and Israeli ministers, others have said that it was inadvisable to do so during the war when UNRWA was set up to provide needed humanitarian aid.