Washington, Jan 31 (EFE).- United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken welcomed UN Gaza relief coordinator Sigrid Kaag on Wednesday to discuss the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian enclave.<\/p>
The meeting came after several countries, including the US, cut funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). <\/p>
The cuts were prompted by allegations that some of the agency’s staff had links to the Oct. 7 Hamas attack against Israel.<\/p>
At the State Department headquarters, Blinken emphasized the UN’s essential role as a partner in providing humanitarian aid to Gazans affected by the conflict. <\/p>
The US diplomat stressed the need to resolve the terrible allegations made about some UNRWA staff.<\/p>
Kaag, who was appointed in December, admitted that her role is “not an easy task,” but insisted that the international community can not afford to “fail.”<\/p>
The Dutch politician called for “safe conditions” for Gazans and for humanitarian workers to “deliver aid,” as there could be logistical challenges due to the large amount of aid needed in the Strip.<\/p>
She also said that humanitarian aid diversion must be prevented, so that it does not “get into the wrong hands,” and that if it happens, “we need to act very swiftly in a very transparent and credible manner.”<\/p>
Kagg highlighted that the common objective is to help “people in need through humanitarian assistance and hopefully through comercial goods, we need those goods for the early recovery as well as the reconstruction of Gaza at the right time.” EFE <\/p>
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