AMMAN: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has voiced strong support for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, calling it a “lifeline of hope and dignity” on Monday.
Guterres, during his visit to the Wihdat refugee camp in the capital city of Jordan, Amman, said that stopping UNRWA’s essential services for Palestinian refugees would be “cruel and incomprehensible”.
His comments come amid a funding crisis for the agency, as several key donor countries have cut off funding following Israeli allegations of UNRWA staff involvement in the October 7 Hamas attack.
On Sunday, UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini announced that Israel had definitively prevented aid deliveries in northern Gaza, where the risk of famine is most severe.
With approximately 30,000 employees across Palestinian territories, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria, UNRWA provides crucial healthcare, education, and other basic services.
“We have to work to maintain the unique services that UNRWA offers because that’s what sustains hope,” Guterres stated while touring the camp adding “In a darkening world, UNRWA is the one ray of light for millions of people. I see that hope here. Now more than ever, we must not take away that hope.”
He also paid tribute to the 171 UNRWA staff members including women and men who lost their lives in Gaza, marking it as the largest number of deaths among UN staff in history.
In January, Israel accused 12 UNRWA employees in Gaza of involvement in the October 7 attack on southern Israel, leading to the suspension of contributions from multiple governments. However, some countries have since resumed their support.
The United Nations has initiated both internal and independent investigations into the Israeli allegations of UNRWA Staffers involvement in the October 7 attack but has not received evidence from Israel supporting the accusations.
