Philippe Lazzarini speaks in an interview in New York on September 24th.
Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images
U.N. officials warn that humanitarian response in Gaza “could collapse” if the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees is barred from Israeli territory, citing a bill being passed by Israel’s Knesset. did.
“If the bill is adopted, there will be serious consequences,” UNRWA Executive Director Philippe Lazzarini told the UN Security Council on Wednesday.
“The entire humanitarian response in Gaza, which operationally relies on UNRWA’s infrastructure, could collapse,” he said, adding that “senior Israeli officials have stated that the destruction of UNRWA is a war objective.” .
What’s happening: On Sunday, the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Security Committee announced a series of bills that would ban the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) from operating in Israeli territory and ban any state advanced. A Knesset statement on X said the authorities were prohibited from having any contact with government agencies.
“Politically, the anti-UNRWA bill is part of a broader campaign to dismantle UNRWA, strip Palestinians of their refugee status and unilaterally change the terms for a future political settlement. “We are doing this,” Lazzarini said.
Remember: In January, the Israeli government accused some UNRWA personnel of involvement in the October 7 attack on Israel. The Israeli government has not made the evidence public and, according to UNRWA, has not shared it with the agency. UNWRA announced in January that it had terminated the contracts of the accused employees.
Added context: Relations between Israel and the United Nations have fallen to historic lows over the past year, with senior UN officials highly critical of Israel’s war efforts in Gaza. Israeli officials have long criticized UNRWA, which plays a central role in feeding and protecting hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees.
Lazzarini said 226 UNRWA personnel have been killed in Gaza over the past 12 months and two-thirds of its buildings have been damaged or destroyed.
