The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) killed 200 UNRWA workers since the start of Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, according to Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
In a joint press conference with Minister of Foreign Affairs, Immigration and Egyptian Affairs Abroad Badr Abdel Ati, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said more than 50 percent of the agency’s institutions have been destroyed and more than 500 people have been killed trying to seek refuge in these UN institutions.
“We face the risk of an entire lost generation in the Gaza Strip,” he said, noting that “the majority of Gaza schools were destroyed during the war.”
“About 250,000 people were displaced from Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip, for the sixth or seventh time, and have no place to go.”
A few days ago, the Commissioner-General warned of the danger of unexploded bombs under the rubble of destroyed homes in the Gaza Strip.
Lazzarini called for a long-awaited ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip immediately and without any further delay.
Since October 7, 2023, the IOF has been waging a devastating war on the Gaza Strip, resulting in catastrophic humanitarian and health conditions, due to the continuous bombing and the prevention of supplies of food, water, medicine, and electricity.
The Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip constitutes a blatant violation of international humanitarian law and human rights, as it exposes the lives and property of civilians to extreme danger, which requires urgent intervention from the international community to stop the aggression and protect civilians in the Gaza Strip.
This international community must force the IOF to adhere to international laws and treaties on human rights and international humanitarian law. They must be obliged to protect the rights and lives of civilians, prohibit their targeting and preserve their safety, and punish the leaders responsible for committing war crimes in the Gaza Strip and elsewhere.
