File Photo: A Palestinian protester uses a slingshot to hurl stones at Israeli troops during clashes on the Gaza-Israel border during clashes on the Gaza-Israel border, east of Gaza City, on Jan. 25, 2019. (Xinhua)

UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday deplored the humanitarian situation in Gaza and praised the UN agency for Palestinian refugees "critical work" last year.

In his remarks to a meeting on the rights of the Palestinian people, Guterres said that approximately two million Palestinians remain mired in increasing poverty and unemployment, with limited access to adequate health, education, water and electricity.

He urged Israel to lift restrictions on the movement of people and goods, which also hamper the efforts of the United Nations and other humanitarian agencies.

On humanitarian relief, Guterres commended the UN agency for Palestinian refugees known as UNRWA for its "critical work" in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and across the region, despite an unprecedented financial crisis in 2018.

The United States, once the agency's largest and most generous donor, cut its support for the agency by 300 million U.S. dollars in 2018. But the organization was able to narrow the funding gap with aid pledges from other countries.

"I thank those donors who have increased their commitments and enabled Palestinian refugees to continue to receive the essential services provided by UNRWA," Guterres said, asking them to maintain their support in the future.

Last month, UNRWA appealed for 1.2 billion dollars to fund their services this year, aiming to maintain the same amount of money the agency received from donors in 2018.

The U.N. agency assists 5.4 million registered Palestinian refugees across the Middle East.

Turning to the settlement issue, Guterres reaffirmed settlements are illegal under international law. "They deepen the sense of mistrust and undermine the two-State solution."

The construction and planning of settlements by Israel have expanded deeper into Area C in the West Bank, including in East Jerusalem, he warned, referring to the West Bank area where most Israeli settlements are located.

The UN chief also expressed regret at the decision by Israel not to renew the mandate of the Temporary International Presence in Hebron.

The international monitoring mission was initially established after a 1994 mosque shooting in the flashpoint city of Hebron in West Bank, and began operating in its latest form after a 1997 deal between Israel and the Palestinians.

"I hope an agreement can be found by the parties to preserve this long-standing and valuable arrangement," Guterres said.

Moreover, the secretary-general pledged the United Nations' firm support of Palestinian reconciliation and the return of the "legitimate Palestinian government" to Gaza.

"Gaza is an integral part of a future Palestinian state and Palestinian unity is needed for a politically stable, economically viable, sovereign and independent State of Palestine," he said.

Also, he appealed to Hamas authorities in Gaza to prevent provocations and Israel to exercise maximum restraint and to not use lethal force, except as a last resort against imminent threat of death or serious injury.

"Israelis and Palestinians continue to suffer from deadly cycles of violence," he said. "Leaders have a responsibility to their populations, not least the youth, to reverse this negative trajectory and pave the way toward peace, stability and reconciliation."