NEW YORK, September 25, 2026 (WAFA) – The UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned on Thursday that the UN agency for Palestine refugees’ (UNRWA) work and mandate were in jeopardy.
Speaking at the annual ministerial meeting on the agency's work during High-Level Week in New York, the UN chief said that UNRWA continues to operate under “extraordinary pressure” and that nearly 400 members of UNRWA’s workforce in Gaza have been killed, with hundreds of premises in the Occupied Palestinian Territory made “inaccessible, severely damaged, or utterly destroyed”.
“These actions are wholly unacceptable and inconsistent with Israel’s obligations under international law, including the UN Charter,” he said.
In a highly challenging environment, he said, UNRWA provides essential public services to Palestinian refugees, however, its work and entire mandate from the General Assembly is now in “jeopardy”.
Nearly two years ago, the Israeli Knesset passed legislation banning the UN agency from operating on Israeli territory – which included East Jerusalem – and cut off all cooperation between Israeli officials and UNRWA.
The Israeli Government seized and began demolition of UNRWA’s main compound in Jerusalem last January. The UN and multiple States maintain the punitive laws passed by parliament breach Israel’s obligations under the UN Charter and Security Council resolution 2730 on protection of humanitarian personnel.
According to the UN chief, the agency has been excluded from coordination meetings with Israeli authorities over humanitarian operations in the genocide-stricken Gaza Strip and elsewhere, while staff visas are no longer granted by Israel and personnel have been subject to intimidation.
He added that UNRWA continues to face a severe financial crisis, “with a cash shortfall of $100 million”, putting operations at risk and threatening the welfare of millions of Palestinian refugees.
Guterres called on Member States to take immediate action as UNRWA’s capacity to act was “seriously imperiled” and regional stability was at “stake”.
He highlighted that continued Israeli attacks continue to kill an average of four people per day, “a quarter of them children”, while international law is being “brazenly violated”.
“The resumption of assistance since the ceasefire was announced last October has brought some relief – but conditions remain intolerable,” Guterres said.
He said Israeli colonist attacks and efforts to expand colonial settlements in the West Bank have pushed Palestinians to “breaking point” and posed a threat to the two-State solution.
Amidst the volatility, he said, UNRWA remained a “critical stabilizing presence” and a lifeline for many Palestinian refugees.
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