Without courageous journalists we would not know ‘extent of the tragedy unfolding in in Gaza’: UNRWA chief

By Aysu Bicer

LONDON (AA) - The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) issued a plea Friday for international media access amid the onslaught in the Gaza Strip.

It highlighted the dire risks faced by Palestinian journalists reporting on the ground.

"Gaza has recorded the highest number of journalists killed in a conflict. Others have been injured like our colleague, photo journalist Abdallah who lost his 2 legs in a bombardment," UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini wrote on X.

"Without, the courage & the determination of Palestinian journalists we wouldn’t know & comprehend the extent of the tragedy unfolding in Gaza. Time to give access to international media to complement the work of their local peers," he said.

Israel has waged an unrelenting onslaught on the Palestinian enclave following an Oct. 7 cross-border attack led by Hamas, which killed less than 1,200 people.

At least 34,622 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, the vast majority being women and children, and 77,867 others have been injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.

The Israeli onslaught on Gaza has pushed 85% of the territory's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.