Aid groups appeal to the European Union to release urgent funds for Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA

By LORNE COOK
Associated Press

BRUSSELS (AP) — Aid groups are appealing to the European Union to release tens of millions of euros in funding due to the main U.N. agency that helps most people in Gaza. The organization is on the brink of financial collapse. The European Commission was due to disburse $89 million to the UNRWA agency on Feb. 29. UNRWA said Thursday morning that it hadn’t received the payment. An official from Plan International’s EU Liaison Office said it’s “a moment of reckoning for the EU as a humanitarian leader and a critical donor for this crisis.” European Commission spokesman Eric Mamer said that “a number of points” must still be agreed on with UNRWA when asked when the funds might be released.