Mamdani raises funds for UNRWA at NYC 5K
New York City mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani ran the NYC Gaza 5K in Prospect Park on Sunday, Oct. 12, and urged followers to donate to UNRWA USA, linking a donation page. The move comes as the U.S. has frozen UNRWA funding since January 2024 and, per an August State Department report to Congress, is seeking to end participation in UNRWA bodies after allegations some UNRWA employees took part in Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023 attacks.
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📌 Key Facts
- Mamdani participated in the NYC Gaza 5K on Oct. 12 and posted a donation link to UNRWA USA.
- The State Department’s August report deemed UNRWA 'irredeemably compromised' and said the agency should be abolished.
- U.S. funding to UNRWA has been frozen since January 2024; officials have moved to cease U.S. participation in UNRWA working bodies.
📚 Contextual Background
- The proposed plan specified that Hamas would release the remaining hostages taken on October 7, 2023 within 72 hours of an agreement, and that Israel would release 250 Palestinians serving life sentences plus 1,700 other Gazans detained after the start of the conflict as part of the exchange.