ROME: Italy on Saturday became the latest country to stop funding to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees after Israel accused several UNRWA staff of involvement in Hamas's October 7 attack.
"The Italian government has suspended financing UNRWA after the atrocious Hamas attack on October 7," Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on X, formerly Twitter.
"Allied countries have taken a similar decision. We are committed to providing humanitarian aid to the Palestinian population while protecting Israel's security," he added.
Israel's foreign minister Israel Katz said Saturday his country will seek to stop UNRWA from operating in Gaza after the war.
Israel was aiming to ensure "UNRWA will not be a part of the day after", Katz said, adding that he would try to gather support from the US, EU and other major donors to the agency.
Palestinian militant group Hamas on Saturday slammed Israeli "threats" against UNRWA, urging the UN and other international organisations not to "cave in to the threats and blackmail".
UNRWA said Friday it had sacked several employees accused by Israel of involvement in Hamas's unprecedented October 7 attack, prompting the United States to suspend critical funding.
Israel's relentless bombardment and siege of Gaza began soon after Hamas's unprecedented October 7 attacks that resulted in about 1,140 deaths in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.
Militants also seized about 250 hostages and Israel says around 132 of them remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 28 dead captives.
Israel has vowed to crush Hamas and Gaza's health ministry says the Israeli military offensive has killed at least 26,083 people, about 70 percent of them women and children.