UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 31 (Sputnik) - The United Nations has no backup plan to get money for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) after donors paused their funding, UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Tuesday.

“There is really no plan B,” Dujarric said in a briefing, when asked whether the UN had a way to secure funding for UNRWA.

The UN operates on the basis of voluntary contributions and cannot print money, he added.

On Friday, UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini said Israel had shared with the agency data on the alleged involvement of some of its staff members in the October 7 Hamas attack and vowed to hold accountable anyone involved in "acts of terror."

The United States, Finland, the United Kingdom, Italy, Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, and some other countries have since suspended funding for UNRWA.

Photo from AP