Gareth Evans tells Labor to ‘get off the fence’ and restart UNRWA funding to help ease Gaza crisis

Former Labor foreign minister says $6m in emergency funding should be released immediately as Canada and Sweden have done

• Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast

Labor’s longest serving foreign minister, Gareth Evans, has urged the Australian government to “get off the fence” and immediately reinstate funding to a key UN agency to help avert mass starvation in Gaza.

The Labor government is edging closer to unfreezing $6m in emergency funding for UNRWA after similar moves by Canada and Sweden, possibly within days, but it is understood a decision has yet to be made.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup