The UN Secretary General will meet today in New York with the “major donors” of the Palestinian refugee agency (Unrwa), 12 of its employees are accused of being involved in the Hamas attack against Israel on October 7, announced yesterday, Monday, the representative of Antonio Guterres.

“On a personal level the Secretary-General is shocked by the accusations against Unrwa workers,” said Stéphane Dizaric.

But, he added, “his message to donors, especially those who have suspended their contributions, is to at least ensure the continuation of the service’s activities, at a time when we have tens of thousands of dedicated staff members working in the region.”

Guterres met yesterday, Monday, with the US permanent representative to the UN, Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, and will have a meeting with UNRWA’s main donors this afternoon in New York, Dizaric noted.

The Secretary-General “already had contacts with Unrwa management and donors as well as regional leaders such as King Abdullah II of Jordan and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi,” with whom he spoke on Monday.

In the besieged Gaza Strip, Unrwa, which provides vital aid to civilians, is struggling after allegations that 12 of its workers (out of a total of 30,000 in the region) were involved in the bloody Hamas attack on Israel that sparked the war .

A dozen countries – including the US, Britain, Germany and Japan – have suspended funding for the agency, despite Guterres’ appeal over the weekend for aid to continue.

The EU yesterday asked Unrwa to accept “an audit by independent experts to be chosen by the European Commission”.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz canceled a meeting scheduled for tomorrow, Wednesday, with the head of UNRWA, Philip Lazzarini, and demanded his resignation.

“Any worker involved in this act of terrorism will be held accountable,” Dizaric stressed, but “at this stage the outlook for UNRWA and the millions of people it helps – not only in Gaza but also in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, the Jordan, Lebanon and Syria – it’s very bleak.”