UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres on Tuesday urged world countries to cover a $100 million gap in funding for UNRWA, saying the body was nearing a breaking point after deep cost-cutting and austerity measures.
Guterres told an ad hoc meeting of the General Assembly on voluntary contributions that UNRWA’s situation was increasingly precarious, given sweeping restrictions throughout the occupied Palestinian territory that impeded its work, and the large cash shortfall.
Guterres said the agency’s liquidity crisis jeopardized its ability to meet its mandate, which was renewed by the General Assembly six months ago with overwhelming member support.
“They (UNRWA personnel) cannot keep going like this without urgent backing and financial support from member states,” Guterres said, noting that the agency had taken decisive steps to implement reforms and update “its policy on outside and political activities” following Israel’s accusations.
“UNRWA is a stabilizing force in an age of instability,” he said, rejecting what he called continued efforts to undermine the agency through “disinformation, smear campaigns, legislative actions, operational restrictions, diplomatic roadblocks and more.”
Such actions threatened the well-being of millions of Palestinians as well as UNRWA staff, Guterres said, noting that 390 UNRWA staff had been killed in Gaza since October 2023.
He also pointed out that 1,000 Palestinians had been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since a ceasefire was announced in October, 2025.
Source:Websites
