The Commissioner General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, warned of the continuation of the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, stressing that the population’s suffering, notably children, has not ended despite the transition into a new phase of the political roadmap, amid severe shortages of shelter, food, healthcare, and education.
Lazzarini made the remarks during the opening of the UNRWA-EU Gaza Photo Exhibition in the Belgian capital, Brussels, in which he said that for more than two years, the UNRWA staff in Gaza documented “a systematic campaign of destruction” affecting nearly two million people; half of them are children, through relentless bombardment, repeated displacement, and human losses that extended to their own families.
He further stressed that “Their vital work entails enormous risks, amid a continuing ban on independent international media entering Gaza.” The Commissioner General reaffirmed that UNRWA continues to have a vital role in providing essential services, as it delivers approximately 40% of all primary healthcare in Gaza, providing up to 18,000 medical consultations each day, in addition to immunization campaigns, nutrition screenings, water quality testing, establishing water wells, desalination systems, and waste management services, benefiting hundreds of thousands of people.
Lazzarini also highlighted that the agency is conducting in-person learning for around 60,000 children and supports nearly 300,000 children through online learning platforms, emphasizing that bringing children in Gaza back to learning is a top priority in order to address trauma, foster hope, and prevent radicalization. He then stressed that the new Zionist legislation aimed at cutting water and electricity to UNRWA premises in occupied East Al-Quds, as well as the raiding and destruction of its headquarters in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and the privileges and immunities of the United Nations.
