No alternative to UNRWA for humanitarian response in Gaza, agency chief reiterates

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) - The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) on Tuesday reiterated there is no alternative to the humanitarian organization for the badly-needed humanitarian response in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has killed more than 37,000 Palestinians and created conditions of famine in just over eight months.

Speaking at an aid conference in Jordan, Philippe Lazzarini said UNRWA is "the back bone and beating heart of the humanitarian response in Gaza."

He renewed an urgent call to implement an immediate cease-fire, strengthen the international community’s response to the humanitarian catastrophe generated by the war that started last October, and improve operational and logistical support to respond to immense humanitarian needs of the people of Gaza.

Lazzarini also urged to ⁠prepare for early recovery including education for more than 600,00 children currently deprived of education and “on the verge of becoming a lost generation.”

The conference, he said, aimed for actions and firm commitments for a “collective, coordinated response to address the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza for the sake of its civilians, for the sake of stability and a better future across the region.”

Many countries had suspended aid to the agency over Israeli allegations linking its staffers to the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack.

But most of the key donors resumed aid after an independent review of UNRWA found that Israel had not provided any evidence to back its claims.