Philippe Lazzarini, the UN Commissioner-General for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), pointed out that Israeli authorities continue to deny entry to the northern Gaza Strip for humanitarian missions. This refusal blocks the supply of critical medicines and food for people who are besieged in the region.
Lazzarini highlighted that hospitals, which have been bombed, are without electricity, preventing the injured from receiving adequate medical attention. Additionally, overcrowding in UNRWA shelters has forced some displaced individuals to live in bathrooms due to a lack of space.
The head of UNRWA emphasized the importance of humanitarian agencies, like UNRWA, being able to access northern Gaza to provide aid to those who desperately need it, including civilians, children, and hostages. He described the denial of humanitarian assistance and its use as a military weapon as a serious deterioration of the moral compass.
Amid the current ground operation by the Israeli army in the Jabalia Palestinian refugee camp, one of the largest in the Gaza Strip, Lazzarini urged for an immediate ceasefire to ensure that aid reaches all those affected in the area, thus alleviating the difficult humanitarian situation that persists in Gaza after 17 days of conflict.
