THE United States decision to slash funding for the UN relief agency for Palestinians risks deep cuts to services that could “push the suffering in disastrous and unpredictable directions,” secretary-general Antonio Guterres warned yesterday.

The UNRWA agency faces a £360 million budget black hole, which was made worse by the US decision.

The US had been the  largest UNRWA donor and announced in January that it would cut £45m this year. However, the agency said the true loss was about £215m as the US had initially promised a total of £260m.