UNRWA Calls for Confronting Israeli Occupation’s Attempts to End its Operations

Geneva: Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) Philippe Lazzarini has called for confronting the Israeli occupation's attempts to end the agency's operations, which provide humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip and other areas in the region. Lazzarini said during a meeting of the agency's advisory committee in Geneva on Monday, "Israel has long been critical of the agency's mandate, but it is now seeking to end UNRWA's operations by rejecting the agency's status as a United Nations entity supported by an overwhelming majority of member states." "If we do not push back, other UN entities and international organizations will be next, further undermining our multilateral system." Lazzarini explained that the agency is facing coordinated efforts to end its operations, including launching legislative initiatives to evacuate the agency's compound and designate it as a terrorist organization. "In Gaza, the agency has paid a terrible price: 193 UNRWA personnel have been killed," he said. "More than 180 installations have been damaged or destroyed, killing at least 500 people seeking United Nations protection." Source: Qatar News Agency