U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres called on the international community to ensure the survival of UNRWA, the U.N. agency assisting Palestine refugees, amid ongoing attacks from Israel. Guterres spoke at a conference in New York, where 118 U.N. members asserted their commitment to keeping UNRWA running, at least through September.

Secretary-General António Guterres: “And my appeal to everyone is this: Protect UNRWA, protect UNRWA’s staff, and protect UNRWA’s mandate, including through funding. And let me be clear: There is no alternative to UNRWA. … And UNRWA is also being targeted in other ways. Staff have been subject to increasingly violent protests and virulent misinformation and disinformation campaigns. Some have been detained by Israeli security forces and subsequently reported mistreatment and even torture.”

Guterres added UNRWA is often the main source of hope for Gazans as they are “forced to move like human pinballs across a landscape of destruction and death.” The U.S. was previously UNRWA’s largest donor, but Congress passed a bill this year banning funding to the agency until March of next year. At least 195 UNRWA workers have been killed in Gaza since October 7.