Japan suspends payments to Palestinian aid organisation UNRWA

Japan has also temporarily suspended its payments to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), following numerous Western states.

Financial support will not be continued “for the time being’’, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

UNRWA works to provide humanitarian aid in Palestinian Territories.

But Japan is extremely concerned about the alleged involvement of UNRWA employees in the terrorist attack on Israel on Oct. 7.

Several nations, including the United States, Germany and France, have previously suspended their payments to the agency.

Twelve employees of the UN relief agency were suspected of being involved in the major attack on Israel by the Islamist terrorist organisation Hamas on Oct. 7.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has announced that consequences would be coming, as well as a review.

Some 1,200 people were killed in the attack and another 250 were taken hostage in the Gaza Strip.