UNRWA chief accuses Israel of trying to end agency’s operations in Gaza, West Bank

UNITED NATIONS – The head of the UN agency helping Palestinian refugees is accusing Israel of trying to end its operations in Gaza and the West Bank.

Philippe Lazzarini is urging the UN Security Council to safeguard his agency’s critical role as the relief agency for Palestinians, while accusing Israel of banning it from delivering aid to Gaza.

Since the war began, Lazzarini says, 178 personnel from the agency known as UNRWA have been killed. More than 160 of the agency’s premises, which were mostly used to shelter Palestinians, have been damaged or destroyed, killing more than 400 people.

“We demand an independent investigation and accountability for the blatant disregard for the protected status of humanitarian workers, operations, and facilities under international law,” UNRWA’s commissioner general says.

Israel has alleged that 12 of UNRWA’s thousands of workers participated in the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel that sparked the war, and that many more of its Gaza-based workers have ties to terror groups. Lazzarini pledges to implement recommendations and strengthen safeguards to ensure UNRWA’s neutrality.