Head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini has issued a blistering condemnation of Israel’s treatment of humanitarian workers in Gaza.
He asserted that dozens of UNRWA staff have been detained and subjected to abuse.
Lazzarini disclosed that he received a harrowing testimony from one colleague who told him: “I wished for death to end the nightmare I was living through.”
“Since the start of the war in October 2023, over 50 UNRWA staff among them teachers, doctors, social workers, have been detained and abused. They have been treated in the most shocking and inhumane way.”
Philippe Lazzarini
He stated that UN staff members had been “beaten up, used as human shields, subjected to sleep deprivation, humiliation, threats of harm to them and their families, and attacks by dogs”, adding that many had also been forced into making confessions.
“This is nothing short of harrowing and outrageous. Humanitarian workers are not a target. Their suffering must not be ignored.”
Philippe Lazzarini
This follows after the UNRWA Chief on Monday, April 28, 2025, welcomed the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) hearing about Israel’s obligation to facilitate humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
Lazzarini wrote in a post on X that UNRWA and other agencies are present in the occupied Palestinian territory to address overwhelming needs.
He added that the agency’s services must continue unobstructed until there is a just and lasting solution to the plight of Palestine refugees.
He stressed that the laws passed by the parliament of Israel against UNRWA impact the agency’s ability to fulfil its mandate.
“The no contact policy under the Knesset laws bans Israeli officials from coordinating or communicating with UNRWA officials, obstructing the delivery of essential relief services and aid.
“Since these restrictions came into effect at the end of January, UNRWA international staff have not received visas to enter Israel. This is banning them from entering the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip where over 2 million people rely on the agency services and assistance.”
Philippe Lazzarini
In his post on X, Phillipe Lazzarini also said that some UNRWA facilities, including schools in occupied East Jerusalem, are under threat of closure by Israeli authorities.
“Some 800 children are likely to miss out on finishing the school year if their schools are forced closed.
“As an occupying power, the state of Israel must provide services or facilitate their delivery- including through UNRWA- to the population it is occupying. This is a clear direction from the international community, through the UN General Assembly.”
Philippe Lazzarini
Israeli Blockade Results In Widespread Hunger
Separately, UNRWA Spokesperson, Juliette Touma said during a news briefing that after nearly two months of an Israeli blockade barring the entry of humanitarian supplies into Gaza, the Strip is facing widespread hunger.
“This siege, just to give context, is four times longer than the siege imposed [by Israel] in the beginning of the war. You may well recall there was a two-week siege period when the war started a year and a half ago. Now we’re speaking of almost two months of tight siege.
“Imagine not having anything to feed your children. Children in Gaza are going to bed starving. The ill and the sick are not able to get medical care because of shortages of supplies in hospitals and clinics, including in UNRWA clinics.”
Juliette Touma
Following Touma’s remarks, Hamas stated that Israel’s use of “starvation as a weapon” against Palestinians in Gaza represents a “contempt for the international community.” “We call on all countries of the world and United Nations institutions to pressure the occupation to end the systematic starvation crime,” the group said, adding a renewed call on Arab and Muslim countries to urgently provide relief to people in Gaza.
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