The Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, has described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as a “worsening hell,” warning of the rapid deterioration in conditions amid escalating famine, disease, and complete insecurity under Israel’s ongoing military campaign in the Gaza Strip.
In an interview with Anadolu Agency during the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, which concluded on Sunday in Turkey, Lazzarini stated that Gaza had entered a new phase of escalation, particularly following the killing of 15 humanitarian workers in a targeted Israeli attack. He called the incident deliberate and systematic, urging an independent international investigation to ensure accountability.
“Gaza has become a field of death,” Lazzarini said, echoing UN Secretary-General António Guterres’s earlier warning that Palestinian civilians are trapped in a “never-ending death spiral.” He stressed that there is “no safe place in Gaza,” as the population is subjected to repeated forced displacement in response to relentless aerial bombardments across the entire territory.
According to Lazzarini, residents are enduring worsening famine, dire health conditions, and what he described as “exceptionally squalid” living conditions. Hundreds of thousands are crowded into areas unfit for human habitation, facing extreme shortages of basic necessities.
He placed full responsibility for the humanitarian disaster on the Israeli authorities, who have sealed all Gaza border crossings since 2 March, preventing the entry of food, medical, and relief aid. “We are running out of everything,” he said. “The existing aid is nearly depleted, and the closure of the crossings for over a month has made the situation intolerable.”
The UN official strongly condemned the targeting of humanitarian personnel. He said the killing of 15 members of medical and civil defence teams in late March showed a “deliberate and flagrant disregard” for international humanitarian law.
According to Lazzarini, the attack on a rescue team—including nine emergency medical staff and a UN employee—was systematic. He described how the victims were killed “one by one,” despite being clearly identifiable, warranting a full independent international investigation.
The Government Media Office in Gaza previously reported that the victims had been responding to distress calls from civilians in the Tel al-Sultan neighbourhood of Rafah. Their bodies were later found in a mass grave near the site where their vehicles were destroyed.
Lazzarini further revealed that over 400 humanitarian workers have been killed in Gaza since 7 October 2023, including more than 280 UNRWA staff, making it one of the deadliest conflicts for humanitarian personnel in recent history.
He also noted that the UN decided to reduce its presence in Gaza on 24 March due to security concerns, following a direct Israeli airstrike on a UN facility that killed one international staff member and injured five others.
The deliberate targeting of civilians and humanitarian workers, the imposition of a full blockade, and the obstruction of humanitarian assistance constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law—particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits collective punishment and mandates special protections for humanitarian workers.
International human rights organisations have classified the ongoing siege on Gaza as a war crime. Legal experts suggest that the scale and pattern of attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure may constitute acts of genocide.
International law demands accountability and the end to impunity. These developments place a clear obligation on the international community to ensure independent investigations and bring perpetrators to justice, as underscored in multiple resolutions of the UN Human Rights Council and the General Assembly.
