United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, whose relationship with Israel has been tense, issued a written warning to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday about the “catastrophic” consequences in the occupied territories if the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) is prevented from continuing its operations. The warning came on the first anniversary of the war that began in the Gaza Strip following an unprecedented Hamas attack on Israeli settlements.
During a press conference at the entrance to the UN Security Council, Guterres stated that he had directly written to Netanyahu to express deep concerns over a proposed law that could halt UNRWA’s vital work in the occupied Palestinian territories. He argued that such legislation would severely hamper efforts to alleviate humanitarian suffering and tensions in Gaza and across the occupied territories, calling it a “disaster within a complete disaster.”
Guterres emphasized that blocking UNRWA would significantly undermine peace efforts and the two-state solution, potentially leading to greater instability and insecurity. His remarks followed the approval of a bill by the Israeli Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee to end UNRWA’s activities and benefits in Israel. Since the war began in October 2023, 223 UNRWA staff members have been killed, and two-thirds of its facilities and schools in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed.
The UN Secretary-General has been persistently calling for a ceasefire in both Gaza and now in Lebanon to avoid a “full-scale war.” His comments on the conflict management included strong criticism, stating that “no right is protected in Gaza, and no one is safe.”
Guterres’s appeal was also a response to the ongoing displacement of Gaza residents, and he criticized Israel’s handling of the war as fundamentally flawed. This came after Israeli Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz declared Guterres “persona non grata,” criticizing him for not condemning the recent Iranian missile attack on Israel.
