The head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, has warned that Israel’s attempts to dismantle the agency will not resolve the Palestinian refugee issue and could have catastrophic consequences for the region.
In an interview with Israeli media on Saturday, Lazzarini emphasized that UNRWA is the backbone of humanitarian aid operations in Gaza and provides critical healthcare and education services to Palestinian refugees in the occupied West Bank, including East al-Quds.
Lazzarini framed Israel’s ongoing efforts to eliminate UNRWA as not only an assault on Palestinian refugees and their right of return but also an attack on Palestinian history and identity.
He stressed that if UNRWA ceases to exist, the issue of Palestinian refugees will not disappear. Instead, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians across the occupied territories would lose access to essential services, leading to a humanitarian crisis.
The Israeli Knesset passed two measures on October 28, 2024, banning UNRWA from operating in the occupied Palestinian territories. The legislation also revoked privileges granted to the agency and prohibited any official contact with it.
Israel has accused UNRWA employees of involvement in the October 7, 2023 attack—a claim the agency has firmly denied.
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