Philippe Lazzarini, the Commissioner-General of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) stated Israel blocked him from visiting the Gaza Strip, which is at present experiencing a humanitarian disaster because of Israel’s assaults and blockade.
Lazzarini stated he had “intended to go into Rafah today, but was informed my entry had been declined,” talking in a Cairo joint news convention with Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on Monday.
Lazzarini later wrote on X, previously Twitter, that he had been denied entry by “Israeli authorities.”
The U.N. company, which coordinates almost all help to Gaza, has been in disaster since Israel accused a few dozen of its 13,000 Gaza staff of being concerned within the Oct. 7 Hamas assault on Israel, only a day after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Tel Aviv to forestall genocide in Gaza.
This led a number of donor nations together with the United States to droop funding though a few of them have since resumed or elevated it together with Spain, Canada and Australia.
Israeli authorities didn’t reply to an AFP request for remark, however authorities spokesman Avi Hyman earlier Monday reiterated what he known as Israel’s place, that “UNRWA is a front for Hamas.”
Shoukry expressed Cairo’s “complete support” for the company and criticized “unilateral actions to restrict UNRWA funding due to baseless accusations.”
‘Man-made hunger’
Among the useless are 168 UNRWA staff, based on the company’s newest figures.
Lazzarini on Monday stated the U.N. had paid a “massive price in Gaza.”
“More than 150 of our facilities have been completely destroyed in the Gaza Strip,” he stated.
“And a number of our staff were arrested and endured ill-treatment and humiliation during investigation.”
In greater than 5 months of conflict and siege, the humanitarian scenario in Gaza has deteriorated to what the U.N. has repeatedly warned is an imminent famine.
“This is man-made starvation,” Lazzarini stated.
The Gaza well being ministry has in current weeks recorded at the least 27 deaths from malnutrition and dehydration, most of them youngsters.
The U.N. stated Monday that half of the territory’s 2.4 million individuals are experiencing “catastrophic hunger and starvation”.
Humanitarian help operations have intensified in current weeks, together with airdrops and efforts for a maritime humanitarian hall from Cyprus, however U.N. and different help businesses warn that these are inadequate to fulfill the determined wants in Gaza.
Source: www.dailysabah.com