The EU has demanded an “urgent” audit of the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA and said it is reviewing funding, following Israeli allegations that some staff participated in Hamas’s October 7 attack, AFP reports.

The audit must be led by European Commission-appointed experts and conducted alongside a UN investigation into the claims, commission spokesman Eric Mamer told journalists. The European Union is one of UNRWA’s top donors.

“What is absolutely clear is that these actions are urgent. They are important and they should be launched without any delay,” Mamer said.

A commission statement said the EU executive “will determine upcoming funding decisions for UNRWA in light of the very serious allegations made on 24 January relating to the involvement of UNRWA staff in the heinous 7 October attacks”.

It said that no additional funding to UNRWA “is foreseen until the end of February”.

But it added that humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza and in the West Bank “will continue unabated through partner organisations”.