UN special rapporteur accuses Israel of blocking UNRWA chief’s access to Gaza

By Faruk Zorlu

The UN special rapporteur on Palestine criticized Israel on Monday for barring the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) from entering Gaza, saying it is attempting to hinder witness accounts of "genocide."

Francesca Albanese denounced Israel's refusal to grant Philippe Lazzarini access to the enclave in a post on X.

Albanese shared Lazzarini's statement that Israeli authorities prevented him from entering Gaza and quoted him as saying: "The highest number of people ever recorded as facing human-made famine, along with mass killings, constant harm & creation of conditions that gut life of humanity has a name: Genocide."

She also reacted to Lazzarini's lack of access to Gaza, adding: "Israel wants no witnesses, no truth-tellers."

Lazzarini planned to visit the city of Rafah in southern Gaza on Monday but was informed that his entry into the area was denied.

Meanwhile, the Israeli Foreign Ministry claimed that Lazzarini was not denied entry to Gaza.

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

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on Gaza since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023 which killed nearly 1,200 people.

More than 31,700 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in the enclave and nearly 73,800 others injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of most food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.