Canada and Sweden announced on Saturday that they will resume funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).

Canadian Minister of International Development, Ahmed Hussein, announced in a press conference, “the resumption of funding for UNRWA,” more than a month after his suspension.

He stated that this decision was taken "due to the catastrophic humanitarian situation on the ground," noting that Canada is "the first country in the G7 to resume funding."

The Canadian minister said, "We reviewed the interim report of the investigation conducted by UNRWA, and we were reassured by its content."

He also announced that Canada is partnering with Jordan and the World Food Program to deliver humanitarian aid by air to Gaza, whose population is now threatened by famine, noting that Canada will provide 300 umbrellas to deliver food and basic goods.

For its part, Sweden announced that it would resume its assistance to the UNRWA with an initial amount of $20 million, after obtaining guarantees that additional investigations would be conducted regarding the agency’s spending and its crews.

The Swedish government said, in a statement, that it “allocated 400 million kroner to UNRWA for the year 2024,” adding, “Today’s decision relates to a first payment of 200 million kroner.”

It noted that in order to release the aid package, UNRWA agreed to “allow independent controls and audits to enhance internal oversight and additional controls on staff.”

The Swedish announcement came after the European Commission announced earlier this month that it would disburse 50 million euros to support UNRWA before the potential release of an additional 32 million.

On the twenty-seventh of last January, nine countries announced the suspension of their funding to the UNRWA, in response to Israeli allegations against 12 employees working for UNRWA, despite the latter’s dismissal of them and opening an immediate investigation.