The Israeli parliament, the Knesset, recently passed two bills banning the activities of the United Nations agency UNRWA in Israeli territory. Apart from this, the administrative agencies have also been prohibited from having any kind of contact with him.
Israel formally notified the President of the UN General Assembly of the new law. The letter states that all cooperation with the agency will be terminated within 90 days.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said on Monday that Israel had allowed an average of 30 trucks full of humanitarian supplies into Gaza last month, just six percent of the commercial and humanitarian supplies sent before the war.
“This is the lowest number in a long time,” he wrote on the social media platform
“This is not enough to meet the needs of more than 20 million people in need, many of whom suffer from hunger, disease and live in deplorable conditions.”
Lifeline of millions of people
He said that all the goods that UNRWA is getting permission to carry are being distributed.
The UN agency has provided food aid to more than 1.9 million Gazans since the war began last October, while providing basic supplies to hundreds of thousands of people living in and around shelters.
UNRWA is the largest provider of primary health care in Gaza and its teams have provided more than 6 million medical consultations. Philip Lazzarini said Gaza needed more aid, including supplies provided by UNRWA.
According to him, restrictions on humanitarian access and the imposition of sanctions on UNRWA will only exacerbate the suffering of people already suffering unimaginable suffering. The cause of the current situation is politics, and it can only be resolved through political will.
UNRWA has no choice
Earlier, UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini said in a tweet that UNRWA helps provide education to Palestinian children. He said there was no mention of children and their education in the discussions of experts and politicians about banning the agency.
He said, due to lack of state power, there is no alternative system. As of last October, more than 3 million children – half of all school-age children in Gaza – attended UNRWA schools. With this, they are deprived of their education even in the second year.
At the same time, some 50,000 children are also being educated in UNRWA schools in the West Bank.
Philippe Lazzarini said that UNRWA is the only UN agency that provides direct education. The organization operates the only system in the region that incorporates human rights programs in accordance with UN standards and values.
“With the removal of UNRWA in the absence of suitable alternatives, Palestinian children will be deprived of education in the near future,” he said.
He warned, “Without education, children can turn to despair, poverty and extremism. In addition, children without education can become victims of exploitation, This includes recruitment into armed groups. “Without education, the region will remain unstable and insecure.”
Commissioner-General Lazzarini said the focus should be on ending violent conflict rather than closing down or replacing UNRWA.