Guterres urges donors to close $100m UNRWA funding gap
The UN chief warned that millions of Palestinian refugees could be at risk as UNRWA faces cash shortages and Israeli restrictions.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
3 min read
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged governments to fill a $100m funding gap for UNRWA, warning that the shortfall threatens aid for millions of Palestinian refugees. Speaking at a donor conference on Tuesday, Guterres said the agency’s finances and Israel’s restrictions on its work had left its operations in a fragile state.
Guterres told the meeting that the “safety and welfare” of millions of Palestinian refugees were at stake, according to Reuters, AFP and Al Jazeera. He pointed to harsh conditions in Gaza, settler violence in the occupied West Bank and Israeli attacks on Lebanon, where many Palestinian refugees live.
UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, was created by the UN General Assembly in 1949 to assist Palestinians displaced during the founding of Israel, according to Reuters, AFP and Al Jazeera. The agency operates in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.
Guterres said UNRWA provides aid, education, healthcare, social services and shelter to 2.6 million Palestinian refugees. He said the current cash shortage has forced the agency to reduce operations, and warned that further cuts could push conditions “beyond breaking point.”
Agency under financial and political pressure
Guterres said UNRWA faces restrictions across the occupied Palestinian territory and a funding gap that puts its regional work at risk. He said the agency’s mandate, renewed by the UN General Assembly six months ago with broad support from member states, could not be carried out without urgent financial backing.
The United States had been UNRWA’s largest donor, but stopped funding in January 2024 after Israel accused a small number of agency employees of taking part in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on southern Israel, according to Reuters, AFP and Al Jazeera. Israel made accusations against 19 staff members.
A UN Office of Internal Oversight Services investigation found that nine UNRWA employees “may have been involved” in the attack, according to Reuters, AFP and Al Jazeera. The investigation found no evidence or insufficient evidence against the other 10 staff members named by Israel.
Guterres said UNRWA had taken steps to carry out reforms and update its rules on outside and political activities after the allegations. He also rejected what he described as attempts to weaken the agency through disinformation, smear campaigns, laws, operational limits and diplomatic obstacles.
Guterres said those actions endangered Palestinians and UNRWA workers. He said 390 UNRWA personnel had been killed by Israel in Gaza since October 2023.
Donor pledges expected
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the outcome of the voluntary contributions meeting for UNRWA would be announced on Wednesday. Guterres called UNRWA a stabilising force and said member states needed to provide immediate support.
Turkiye’s permanent representative to the UN, Ahmet Yildiz, also spoke at the meeting. According to Anadolu, Yildiz said UNRWA was facing political attacks and obstruction, while its staff and facilities had been subjected to physical assaults by Israel in Gaza and across the occupied Palestinian territory.
Anadolu reported that Yildiz described Israel’s actions as violations of international law and said they were intended to deny Palestinian refugees their right to return to their land.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.