WASHINGTON, Feb 4 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump is expected on Tuesday to stop U.S. engagement with the United Nations Human Rights Council and continue a halt to funding for the U.N. Palestinian relief agency UNRWA, a White House official said on Monday. The move coincides with a visit to Washington by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has long been critical of UNRWA, accusing the agency of anti-Israel incitement and its staff of being “involved in terrorist activities against Israel.”

The U.S. was UNRWA’s biggest donor - providing $300 million-$400 million a year - but Biden paused funding in January 2024 after Israel accused about a dozen UNRWA staff of taking part in the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Palestinian militants Hamas that triggered the war in Gaza. The U.S. Congress then formally suspended contributions to UNRWA until at least March 2025. UNRWA provides aid, health and education services to millions of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.