00:00 The head of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees has said he hopes the
00:05 European Commission will keep funding their operations.
00:08 In a visit to Brussels on Monday, Filippo Lazzarini said it was critical the cash flow
00:12 to the organization continues.
00:14 The agency is investigating whether 12 of its employees took part in Hamas` October
00:19 7 attacks against Israel.
00:21 Israel has also alleged Hamas has tunnels under the agency`s headquarters in Gaza.
00:26 More than a dozen countries, including several EU member states, suspended funding worth
00:31 nearly 410 million euros.
00:40 The commission contribution is absolutely critical because it`s $82 million expected
00:47 beginning of March.
00:50 If we would have had no pause or freeze of funding, our cash flow would have been good
00:59 until the end of July.
01:01 Our cash flow will suffer as from now, as from the month of March.
01:06 It will be negative, expected negative 30 to 40 million in March, but then it will be
01:12 significantly negative as from April.
01:16 The conclusions from the investigation could take months to appear, but the EU`s chief
01:20 of diplomacy, Joseph Borrell, has hinted the European Commission could make some decisions
01:24 before that.
01:27 The bloc`s 27 countries will have to coordinate a decision on the agency, but Borrell says
01:31 the U.N. Agency for Palestine Refugees is irreplaceable.
01:36 If I have to look at the majority feeling, I think that the majority clearly is understanding
01:46 the fact that there is no alternative to support the Palestinian people that what we have in
01:52 place and has been in place for 70 years or more with Hamas and without Hamas.
02:00 So, I cannot imagine a magic wand to say that tomorrow someone will come and provide the
02:06 school to have a million young people.
02:08 Lazarini said that Israel`s operations in Rafah, near the border with Egypt, are already
02:13 disrupting the entrance of humanitarian aid.
02:15 Convoys are also being attacked due to the lack of local police protection.
02:20 While in Brussels, Lazarini also said for the first time that he would not resign against
02:24 repeated requests by the Israeli government.
02:26 For more UN videos visit: www.un.org/webcast
02:30 [whoosh]
02:31 (whooshing)
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