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2h ago

UN Leaders Press Donors to Fund UNRWA as Agency Warns of Collapse

Officials at a UNGA pledging meeting warned that predictable financing is urgent given a U.S. cutoff, Israeli limits, a roughly $200 million gap.

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UNRWA, the main humanitarian agency for Palestinians, supplied healthcare, welfare and education services in Gaza before war broke out between Hamas and Israel
Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN's Palestinian relief agency (UNRWA), says it can play a vital role in building up health and education capacity in post-war Gaza

Overview

  • UN Secretary‑General António Guterres called UNRWA a force for regional stability and urged immediate political backing and full, predictable funding.
  • UNRWA Commissioner‑General Philippe Lazzarini said the agency remains operational in Gaza with about 12,000 staff delivering primary health care, shelter management and other services.
  • Al Jazeera reported a budget deficit of roughly $200 million after donor suspensions, with the United States still withholding funds as Spain announced a new €10 million contribution.
  • Guterres noted that more than 370 UNRWA staff have been killed and that agency premises have been destroyed, while denouncing disinformation targeting the agency.
  • Lazzarini insisted UNRWA must help administer any ceasefire and reconstruction in Gaza, criticized the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation as harmful to aid delivery, and pointed to Israeli legal restrictions and the New York Declaration endorsed by 142 countries.