The head of the United Nations agency that helps Palestinian refugees on Monday defended the organization’s work in Gaza while addressing concerns about funding shortfalls and difficulty delivering aid in the territory.
“The breakdown of civil order has resulted in rampant looting and smuggling that impede the delivery of desperately needed humanitarian aid,” UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini told a meeting of the agency’s advisory commission in Geneva.
“For more than two million Gazans, it is a living hell. A nightmare from which they cannot wake,” he also said.
Agencies from the U.N. have voiced concern about shortages made worse by the land-access restrictions and closure of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.
Lazzarini highlighted the challenges that UNRWA has faced.
“Israeli security forces have deployed inside some UNRWA facilities during military operations in Palestinian refugee camps,” he said. “Arbitrary measures imposed by Israel severely restrict the presence and movement of staff.”
Hamas militants launched a shock attack on southern Israel October 7, killing about 1,200 people and seizing some 250 hostages. The protracted military operation with which Israel responded has left more than 37,500 Palestinians dead, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, which doesn’t distinguish between civilians and militants.
Lazzarini said 193 UNRWA employees have been killed on the ground since October 7. He also alleged that Israel is using legislative initiatives to dismantle UNRWA’s work by threatening to evict staff from the agency’s compound in Jerusalem and label the group a terrorist organization.
The Israeli diplomatic mission in Geneva dismissed Lazzarini’s statement on Monday.
Lazzarini also addressed Israeli allegations that some UNWRA staffers were involved in the October 7 attack, stating that he “terminated” the accused individuals following a U.N.-backed probe. One person has since been reinstated, four cases have been suspended pending additional evidence, and 14 others are ongoing.
The accusations prompted several nations including the United States to freeze an estimated $450 million in UNWRA funding. Some countries have resumed funding. Lazzarini also raised the prospect of the agency not being operational past August unless the funding concerns are addressed.
The United States, UNWRA’s top contributor, has yet to resume funding.
VOA U.N. correspondent Margaret Besheer contributed to this report. Some information came from Agence France-Presse.
