The move by Germany, UNRWA’s second biggest donor, follows those made earlier by several other major donors, including Australia, Canada, Sweden and Japan, to restore ties with the agency after Israel alleged that its members had participated in Hamas’ October 7 attack.

Germany said Wednesday that it will restore cooperation and funding to the UN’s relief agency for Palestinians in Gaza (UNRWA) after the organisation accepted the recommendations of an independent review of its neutrality.

The German foreign office said it was pleased that UNRWA said it would heed the recommendations of the review conducted by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna and implement them “swiftly and in full”.

“In support of these reforms, the German government will soon continue its cooperation with UNRWA in Gaza, as Australia, Canada, Sweden, and Japan, among others, have already done,” the foreign office said.

“Germany will coordinate closely with its closest international partners on the disbursement of further funds. UNRWA’s short-term financing needs in Gaza are currently covered by existing funds,” it added.

The review was launched after Israel accused a dozen of UNRWA’s 13,000 Gaza staffers of being involved in planning and carrying out Hamas’ October 7 attack that triggered the now-six-month-old war in Gaza.

The allegations prompted 16 donor states, including the biggest, the United States, to freeze some $450 million of funds – a blow to UNRWA’s operations as it grapples with the humanitarian crisis unleashed by Israel’s assault on Gaza.

UNRWA fired several employees after the allegations and launched an investigation, promising that anyone involved in the October 7 attacks would be held accountable.

The agency employs 32,000 people in the Palestinian territories and nearby countries, including 13,000 in the Gaza Strip, where it is by far the biggest aid agency, running schools and social services for refugees who make up the majority of Gazans.

The Colonna-led review, which was commissioned by the UN, was not tasked with addressing Israel’s allegations but had a broader mandate to “assess whether UNRWA is doing everything within its power to ensure neutrality”.

It said the Israeli government had yet to provide evidence to support its accusations – made based on a UNRWA staff list given to it in March – that a significant number of UNRWA staff were members of Gaza terrorist groups.

The review found that UNRWA had “a more developed approach” to neutrality than other similar UN or aid groups, although “neutrality-related issues persist” such as staff publicly expressing political views.

The United Nations is investigating the allegations against the 12 UNRWA employees in a separate probe by its oversight office. After those accusations surfaced in late January, UNRWA said it sacked 10 of the accused, and that the other two were dead.

Israel stepped up its accusations against UNRWA in March, saying that more than 450 UNRWA employees were military operatives in terrorist groups in Gaza.

Accepting the recommendations of the Colonna-led review on Monday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged all countries to actively support UNRWA as it is “a lifeline for Palestine refugees in the region”.