Guterres: UNRWA a 'lifeline of hope' for Palestinian refugees

On Monday, United Nations chief Antonio Guterres defended the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, describing it as a "lifeline of hope and dignity."

During a visit to the Wihdat refugee camp in the Jordanian capital, Amman, Guterres said it would be "cruel and incomprehensible" to halt UNRWA's vital services to Palestinian refugees across the region.

His remarks come as the agency faces a financing crisis after several key donor countries cut off funding following Israeli accusations that several UNRWA staff in Gaza were involved in the October 7 Hamas attack.

The agency employs some 30,000 people in the Palestinian territories, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria and provides healthcare, education, and other essential services.

"We must strive to keep the one-of-a-kind services that UNRWA provides flowing because that keeps hope flowing," Guterres said during his visit to the camp.

"In a darkening world, UNRWA is the one ray of light for millions. I see that hope here. Now more than ever, we must not take away that hope."

He also sought to "honor the 171 women and men of UNRWA who have been killed in Gaza -- the largest number of deaths of UN staff in our history."




AFP