Guterres appeals to donors to fund UNRWA, while the agency warns against the destruction of Gaza

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday appealed to donors to fund the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), noting that there is no alternative.

Guterres warned, during a donors' conference, that the suffering Palestinians would lose a "vital lifeline" without UNRWA, adding: "Let me be clear, there is no alternative to UNRWA."

"Just when we thought things couldn't get any worse in Gaza, civilians are being horrifically pushed deeper into hell," the UN official added.

For his part, Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of UNRWA, said that the agency would not be able to operate after August without more funding, adding that the emergency appeal launched by the United Nations to raise $1.2 billion for the Palestinians by the end of the year, along with an appeal to neighboring countries, had succeeded in raising less than 20% of the funding.

In addition, UNRWA said on Friday that "destruction and despair are spreading throughout the Gaza Strip as fighting and forced displacement continue," adding that "safety is not available anywhere in the Strip."

The agency added, in a post on its account on the X platform: "Palestinian families are still being forcibly displaced, some are taking refuge in damaged schools and buildings, and others are living in temporary tents."

The UN agency concluded by renewing its call for an "immediate" ceasefire in Gaza, where all Palestinians are feeling "extremely tired and exhausted."

Since October 7, 2023, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza with American support, leaving more than 126,000 Palestinian martyrs and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 10,000 missing amid massive destruction and famine that has claimed the lives of dozens of children.

Tel Aviv continues the war, ignoring the UN Security Council resolutions to stop it immediately, and the International Court of Justice orders to take measures to prevent acts of genocide and improve the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza.