The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) sounded the alarm Tuesday about the dire situation facing Palestinian refugees and stressed the urgent need for international intervention.
"Without intervention by member states, UNRWA will collapse, plunging millions of Palestinians into chaos," Philippe Lazzarini warned at a UN General Assembly session on the agency after Israel banned its activity.
Lazzarini noted that recent legislative moves by the Knesset, or Israel's parliament, target UNRWA as a "war goal" intended to dismantle its services.
He said the measures go beyond undermining UNRWA's mission, aiming to "end Palestinians' right to self-determination and aspiration for a just political solution" by "shifting unilaterally long-established parameters for resolving the Israel-Palestine conflict."
Lazzarini described the Gaza Strip as a "dystopian horror," devastated by "the most intense bombardment of a civilian population since World War II."
Saying that humanitarian aid has been severely restricted, Lazzarini said the obstructions have led to widespread deprivation.
"Palestinians are being burned and buried alive by airstrikes," while brutal sieges, attacks on hospitals and detention of men and boys in undisclosed locations further exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, he said.
Highlighting the spread of violence in the occupied West Bank, Lazzarini said, "Settler violence and military incursions are a daily occurrence. Public infrastructure is destroyed, deliberately inflicting collective punishment on Palestinians."
He emphasized that the Palestinian economy is on the brink of collapse, and stressed that "for the past year, UNRWA has been a lifeline for the people of Gaza. It is the only pillar of their lives left standing."
"Dismantling UNRWA will not terminate the refugee status of Palestinians. These statues exist independently of the agency, but it will severely harm the lives and future," he said.
Describing the toll on the agency, he said: "At least 239 UNRWA personnel have been killed, others detained and reportedly tortured, and more than two-thirds of our premises have been damaged or destroyed."
Lazzarini urged member states to take immediate steps by preventing "the implementation of the legislation against UNRWA" and asked members to "ensure that any plan for a political transition delineates UNRWA's role."
"Finally, I ask that member states maintain funding to UNRWA and do not withhold or divert funds on the assumption that the agency can no longer operate," he added.
General Assembly President Philemon Yang urged member states to respect international law, the UN Charter and UN resolutions.
"I, therefore, urgently call on the government of Israel to comply with its international legal obligations and to allow UNRRA to continue its indispensable work in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem as mandated by this assembly," he said.
