UN Secretary‑General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday urged member states to bridge a $100 million funding shortfall for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), warning that the organization is approaching a breaking point after extensive cost‑cutting and austerity measures.
Addressing an ad‑hoc General Assembly session on voluntary contributions, Guterres said UNRWA’s circumstances have grown increasingly precarious due to sweeping restrictions in the occupied Palestinian territory that hinder its operations and a severe cash shortfall.
The United Nations agency operates across Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria, delivering assistance, education, healthcare, social services, and shelter to approximately 2.6 million Palestinians.
The United States, UNRWA’s largest donor, suspended funding in January 2024 after Israel alleged that several UNRWA employees participated in the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks that sparked the Gaza war. Sweden likewise halted its 2025 contribution. While other major donors initially paused support pending investigations, most have now reinstated their contributions.
Guterres warned that the agency’s liquidity crisis threatens its ability to fulfill its mandate, which the General Assembly renewed six months ago with overwhelming support from member states.
“Without urgent backing and financial support from member states, UNRWA cannot continue,” Guterres said, adding that the agency had implemented decisive reforms and updated its policies on external and political activities in response to Israel’s accusations.
“UNRWA remains a stabilizing force amid widespread instability,” he asserted, rejecting what he described as ongoing efforts to undermine the agency through disinformation, smear campaigns, legislative measures, operational restrictions, diplomatic obstacles, and similar tactics.
These actions endanger the welfare of millions of Palestinians and UNRWA personnel, Guterres said, citing the deaths of 390 UNRWA staff in Gaza since October 2023. He also noted that approximately 1,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since a ceasefire was declared in October.
Service delivery reductions
The United Nations announced that it had terminated nine UNRWA employees who may have participated in the October 2023 attack that killed approximately 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals. Additionally, a Hamas commander in Lebanon, killed by Israel in September, had been employed by UNRWA. While the UN has denied direct ties to Hamas, it pledged to investigate all allegations.
UNRWA has reduced its service delivery hours by 20 % this year, cut salaries for local staff, and left 15 % of international positions vacant, Guterres said, warning that any additional cuts could push conditions beyond the breaking point.
UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric warned that the agency is confronting an existential crisis and indicated that the outcomes of the ad‑hoc meeting on voluntary contributions would be released on Wednesday.
In 2025, UNRWA received approximately $887 million in pledges and $829 million in actual contributions, representing just 27 % of the $3.3 billion required to meet its overall funding needs, according to its website.