UN chief Antonio Guterres has pleaded for donor states to “guarantee the continuity” of the body’s Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) after several halted funding over accusations of staff involvement in Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel, AFP reports.

“While I understand their concerns — I was myself horrified by these accusations — I strongly appeal to the governments that have suspended their contributions to, at least, guarantee the continuity of UNRWA’s operations,” Guterres said in a statement, referring to the agency’s acronym.

Israel has alleged several UNRWA staff were involved in Hamas’s attack, leading some key donor countries to suspend their funding. UNRWA fired several staff over Israel’s accusations, promising a thorough investigation into the claims, which were not specified.

“The abhorrent alleged acts of these staff members must have consequences,” Guterres said.

“But the tens of thousands of men and women who work for UNRWA, many in some of the most dangerous situations for humanitarian workers, should not be penalized,” he added.