UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres encouraged on Thursday world leaders to strengthen funding for the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), which offers crucial services to almost 6 million people, according to Anadolu. 

On the margins of the UN General Assembly sessions in New York, Jordan and Sweden co-organized a high-level conference in support of UNRWA, during which Guterres described the situation in the Gaza Strip as "beyond imagination".

Guterres stated that the people in Gaza are in a "living hell that somehow gets even worse by the day."

He highlighted that "there is no alternative to UNRWA" and asked all UN member states to work across all fronts to intensify support for the Agency.

Guterres stated that UNRWA "is not a sustainable long-term solution to the plight of Palestine refugees" and reiterated his call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, captives release, and a "two-state" political solution between Palestine and "Israel" with occupied al-Quds serving as the two sides' capital.

Until then, he argued, "UNRWA remains indispensable," reiterating the "full support" of states.

The UN head stated that 2 million Palestinians are squeezed into a tiny space, living among "lakes of sewage, piles of rubbish, and mountains of rubble" and cautioned that "the only certainty is that tomorrow will be worse."

UNRWA is seen as a beacon of hope amid the bleak situation, according to Guterres. 

Related News

Israeli forces raid West Bank towns amid surge in settler attacks

Rubio says UNRWA to play no role in Gaza aid deliveries

The Agency is experiencing enormous operational and political problems, he maintained, with "222 UNRWA colleagues killed, many with entire families, several in the line of duty" and the "highest death toll in UN history."

Guterres cited Israeli "campaigns that discredit the Agency's life-saving work" and the Knesset's decision to declare UNRWA a "terrorist organization", citing that "in the face of the catastrophic conditions, UNRWA perseveres."

“Virtually all donors have reversed their funding suspensions,” he said. “This underscores the consensus that UNRWA’s role across the West Bank and the region is vital.”

US Democratic lawmakers introduce bill to restore UNRWA funding

A group of Democratic congress members filed legislation to restore US financing to the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), which provides critical assistance services to over 6 million Palestinian refugees.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, together with Andre Carson and Jan Schakowsky, stated Thursday that revoking UNRWA funding will "lead to more devastation and loss of life in Gaza. We must ensure that those acting in good faith to save civilian lives are not undermined by a lack of US funding."

She noted that UNRWA has played a "unique and integral" role in the care of Palestinian refugees for decades.

Carson asked colleagues who value human rights to support the bill, explaining that "UNRWA has taken appropriate and proactive steps towards accountability and transparency, conducting multiple independent reviews that continue to prove the organization is both in compliance and imperative to provide the region with lifesaving assistance" and citing that it was "past time" to restore funding.

Congresswoman Schakowsky stated that the UNRWA has been a "lifeline" for Palestinians and is the "backbone" of the humanitarian response in Gaza despite the continuous war and catastrophe, expressing that "the US must follow suit and resume funding for this critical humanitarian agency."

Last week, Philippe Lazzarini stated in an interview that the Israeli government was attempting to dismantle the organization after failing to persuade Western donors to cease supporting it due to false claims of the agency cooperating with the Palestinian Resistance, Hamas. 

Lazzarini stated that this attempt would have "devastating consequences for the multilateral system, the UN, and the cause of a Palestinian transition to self-determination."