The Commissioner General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, on Monday condemned what he described as a "blatant disregard for international law" in Gaza. Addressing the UN's Summit of the Future, Lazzarini revealed that 222 UNRWA staff members have been killed, and two-thirds of the agency's buildings have been damaged or destroyed, killing hundreds of people seeking refuge under UN protection.
Lazzarini criticized Israel’s legislative efforts aimed at evicting UNRWA from East Jerusalem, stripping the agency of its privileges and immunities, and designating it as a terrorist organization. He warned that failing to resist these actions sets a dangerous precedent, threatening both the future of UNRWA's humanitarian mission and the rule of law.
"The scale of human suffering in Gaza is immense, and our ability to respond is severely constrained," Lazzarini said, noting the impact of the ongoing conflict on Palestinian refugees. He also voiced concerns about the escalating violence in the West Bank and the broader regional conflict, including its spread into Lebanon.
UNRWA has been providing essential services, such as education and healthcare, to Palestinian refugees in the Occupied Territories, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan since 1948. Lazzarini emphasized that these efforts are now at risk due to the current conflict and the international community's selective enforcement of international law, which, he warned, reinforces perceptions of inequality and injustice.
Lazzarini criticized Israel’s legislative efforts aimed at evicting UNRWA from East Jerusalem, stripping the agency of its privileges and immunities, and designating it as a terrorist organization. He warned that failing to resist these actions sets a dangerous precedent, threatening both the future of UNRWA's humanitarian mission and the rule of law.
"The scale of human suffering in Gaza is immense, and our ability to respond is severely constrained," Lazzarini said, noting the impact of the ongoing conflict on Palestinian refugees. He also voiced concerns about the escalating violence in the West Bank and the broader regional conflict, including its spread into Lebanon.
UNRWA has been providing essential services, such as education and healthcare, to Palestinian refugees in the Occupied Territories, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan since 1948. Lazzarini emphasized that these efforts are now at risk due to the current conflict and the international community's selective enforcement of international law, which, he warned, reinforces perceptions of inequality and injustice.
