Kirby unsure of ‘dollar figure’ of US funding to controversial UN agency allegedly tied to Hamas attack

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White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Friday that he was unsure of a specific "dollar figure" when asked about the amount of money the U.S. has given to a United Nations agency that is facing allegations that some of its members were involved in Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel.

Kirby made the comment during an exchange with Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy after the State Department announced earlier today that the U.S. is "extremely troubled" by claims that a dozen members of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestine Refugees in the Near East "may have been involved" in Hamas’ attack. The State Department has since "temporarily paused additional funding" for UNRWA pending a review.

"It certainly looks as if there's cause to be concerned about the actions of some of the members of UNRWA . . . but that does not and nor should it impugn the entire agency and the entire body of work that they're doing." Kirby said. "They have helped save literally thousands of lives in Gaza. They do important work. [It] doesn't mean that there aren’t some folks in that group that need to be punished for potentially these kinds of behavior."

"That's bad, though, if there are 12 people who are accused," Doocy said.

BIDEN ADMINISTRATION CUTS FUNDING TO CONTROVERSIAL UN AGENCY OVER ALLEGATIONS MEMBERS