Following his meetings with representatives of UN member states, Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), held a press conference at the UN Office in Geneva. Drawing attention to Israel’s intense attacks on Gaza, which began on October 7, 2023, and has been continuing for almost a year, Lazzarini said that this is an endless nightmare. Gaza has become uninhabitable. People face illness, death or starvation on a daily basis. These statements once again revealed the seriousness of the humanitarian crisis and increasing emergencies in the region.
“Two million people are trapped in 10 percent of the Gaza Strip,” Lazzarini said, adding that people have been moving from place to place for a year in search of safety, but such an environment does not exist in Gaza.
Lazzarini said there were 620,000 girls and boys living amid the rubble in Gaza, and called on UN member states and partners to prioritize education for these children, as well as lifesaving activities.
Emphasizing that Palestinians have been deprived of their right to education due to years of war, Lazzarini pointed out the importance of children here having access to these rights.
Lazzarini underlined that a silent tragedy was taking place in the occupied West Bank, saying, “If a ‘security operation’ were to take place in the camps here, it would result in large-scale destruction of public infrastructure. In effect, people are being punished collectively.”
Stating that they also discussed the situation in Lebanon, which is under Israeli attack, in their talks today, Lazzarini said that they all fear that the tension here will spread and this is happening right now. As UNRWA, they provide shelter in Lebanon. As of today, there are 3,500 people in our shelters in 9 different locations. They have opened our shelters for Palestinian refugees, Syrian refugees, and Lebanese who have fled the south of their country.
Lazzarini noted that UNRWA has been under constant attack during this process, adding that to date, 223 of our personnel have been killed in Gaza. Two-thirds of our facilities have been damaged or destroyed.
