NNA - The European Commission said on Friday it would hold back part of a payment of 82 million euros for the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) but increase overall aid to the Palestinians by 68 million euros this year.

UNRWA provides aid and basic services to Palestinians caught up in the war in Gaza but was thrown into crisis after Israel alleged in January that 12 of the agency's 13,000 staff in the enclave were involved in the Hamas attack of Oct. 7 last year

Like many of the agency's other big donors, the European Union's executive body reviewed its funding of UNRWA after Israel made the allegations.

The Commission said in a statement on Friday it now would "proceed to paying" a first tranche of 50 million euros of the 82 million due to be paid around the end of last month.

It said it would pay two further tranches of 16 million euros "in line with" an agreement with UNRWA to address concerns raised by the Israeli accusations. -- Reuters

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