Palestinian refugee agency head says blocked by Israel from Gaza

By Ibrahim al-Khazen

ISTANBUL (AA) - The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said Monday that Israel barred him from entering the Gaza Strip.

“I intended to go to Rafah today, but I have been informed an hour ago that my entry into Rafah is declined,” Philippe Lazzarini told a press conference in Cairo with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry.

The move came one day after UNRWA warned on Sunday that Gaza’s population is on the verge of famine.

"On the day new data is out on famine in Gaza, the Israeli Authorities deny my entry to Gaza," Lazzarini added on X.

The Egyptian minister, for his part, condemned the Israeli move to deny the UNRWA chief entry into Gaza.

“This is an unprecedented stance against a UN official," he added.

There was no immediate Israeli comment yet on the report.

Following Israeli accusations that some of the UN agency members were involved in the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks, several Western countries, including the US, UK, Australia, and many EU countries, have halted payments to UNRWA, pending an investigation.

UNRWA was created by the UN General Assembly more than 70 years ago to assist Palestinians who were forcibly displaced from their land.

The agency provides crucial support to millions of Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip, West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and other areas where large numbers of registered Palestinians live.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara