U.N. Chief Urges Donors to Close $100 Million Gap for Palestinian Refugee Agency

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday urged countries to cover a $100 million funding gap for the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA, warning that the organization is nearing a breaking point. Guterres told an ad hoc meeting of the General Assembly on voluntary contributions that the agency's liquidity crisis jeopardized its ability to meet its mandate, renewed six months ago with overwhelming member support.

UNRWA has reduced service delivery hours by 20 percent this year, cut salaries for local personnel, and kept 15 percent of international posts vacant, Guterres said. "Any further cuts could push conditions past the breaking point," he added. The agency operates in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria, providing aid, schooling, healthcare, social services and shelter to 2.6 million Palestinians.

In 2025, UNRWA received about $887 million in pledges and $829 million in contributions, accounting for 27 percent of its $3.3 billion total funding needs. The U.S. was the agency's biggest donor before cutting funding in January 2024 after Israel accused about a dozen UNRWA staff of involvement in the October 7, 2023 attack.

Sweden also cut its 2025 funding. Other donors paused contributions while the accusations were investigated but most have since resumed.

Guterres said 390 UNRWA staff have been killed in Gaza since October 2023 and noted that 1,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since a ceasefire announced in October. The U.N. has said it fired nine UNRWA staff who may have been involved in the October 2023 attack, which killed about 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals.

A Hamas commander in Lebanon killed in September by Israel was also found to have had a UNRWA job. Guterres said the agency had taken decisive steps to implement reforms and update its policy on outside and political activities following the accusations.