The only alternative to the work of the UN’s Palestine agency in Gaza is to allow Israel to provide services there, Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of UNRWA, told reporters in Geneva on Monday.
“There is no Plan B within the UN family because no other agency can perform similar activities,” said Lazzarini.
“If you talk about bringing in trucks with food, you will find alternatives,” he added, but the “answer is no” when it comes to education and basic healthcare services.
In October, the Israeli Knesset decided to ban UNRWA from operating in Israel and the occupied territories and prohibited coordination with Israeli authorities. Both laws are set to take effect 90 days after their adoption, according to the Knesset.
Gaza is a relentless dystopian horror. Over 43,000 people have reportedly been killed, with nearly 70 percent of them being women and children, Lazzarini told reporters.
He further highlighted that thousands remain missing under the rubble or have died from starvation or disease.
Across Gaza, 660,000 children who should be attending school are instead learning how to survive, he added, while noting that northern Gaza is under strict siege as military operations continue.
“In the shadow of Gaza, the occupied West Bank is undergoing a brutal transformation. Military assaults by Israeli Security Forces are a daily reality. Public infrastructure is systematically destroyed during military operations, imposing collective punishment on Palestinians,” he said.
