United Nations chief Antonio Guterres declared on Friday that there is no alternative to UNRWA, the UN agency for “Palestinian refugees”, Reuters reported. "My appeal to everyone is this: Protect UNRWA, protect UNRWA staff, and protect UNRWA's mandate - including through funding," Guterres told an UNRWA pledging conference in New York on Friday. "Let me be clear: there is no alternative to UNRWA." Israel said in January that 12 UNRWA staff participated in the October 7 Hamas attacks. In the weeks that followed, numerous donor states suspended or paused some $450 million in funding to UNRWA. Some of those countries, including Germany , Sweden, Canada , Japan, Norway and Austria , have since resumed funding to the agency. In his remarks on Friday, Guterres asserted that "UNRWA is also being targeted in other ways. Staff have been the subject of increasingly violent protests and virulent misinformation and disinformation campaigns." "Some have been detained by Israeli security forces, and subsequently reported mistreatment and even torture," he charged. Hamas terrorists have repeatedly used UNRWA facilities to carry out terrorist attacks against Israelis and fire rockets on Israel, leaving the IDF no choice but to attack those buildings. Related articles: Mahmoud Khalil hid UNRWA ties in green card application UNRWA gear found in terrorist weapons cache in Samaria 'Mahmoud Khalil seethed with hatred for Jewish state,' ‘Not a shred of evidence’ hostages held in UN facilities The IDF takes steps to ensure minimal risk to civilians during those operations , including the use of precise aerial surveillance and additional intelligence. Nevertheless, Guterres has criticized Israel for striking the UNRWA facilities. (Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)
