The UN moves patients to hospitals in southern Gaza. INTERVIEW | UNRWA representative: Thinking about the suffering of children in Gaza is the hardest thing to do Peace and Security
Residents of Gaza are forced to flee again, even from shelters that operate under the UN flag. Juliette Tuma, spokeswoman for the Agency for the Relief of Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), said this in an interview with the UN News Service.
Commenting on yesterday’s shelling of a UN convoy, she noted that UNRWA has already faced at least five similar incidents, despite the fact that the movement of humanitarian transport is always closely coordinated with the Israeli authorities. As part of this process, all necessary details are provided, including vehicle numbers and route.
“In every war, including the war in Gaza, there are rules, and they must always be respected,” Tuma emphasized.
The UNRWA representative noted that in yesterday’s incident, the team decided to continue the road without one damaged vehicle. Upon reaching Gaza City, staff assessed the damage at the UNRWA compound. Tuma noted that she could not recognize the place, which now looked like a battlefield.
Ongoing displacement
UN employee recounts interview with Palestinian who reported that he was forced to move twice in ten hours. “People continue to seek safety, but to no avail,” Tuma noted.
She added that earlier during the war, more than 100 shelters UNRWA sheltered a million people, but because even the UN flag does not guarantee security for the Palestinians, people are forced to flee further. In addition, according to Tuma, many aid workers are themselves displaced.
Nearly two-thirds of UNRWA facilities were damaged, with the vast majority of these buildings being used as shelters, she stressed, adding that the attacks killed at least 520 people, including women and children.
Impact on children
“There is nothing more difficult than talking about what this war has done to children and their lives, and the impact it will have on their future and, by extension, the future of the entire region,” Tuma said. “The shock and psychological impact on every person in Gaza is enormous, and on a child everything affects it many times more.”
Number of killed and wounded children, according to local health sources, are huge, and many were forced to flee from their homes, she recalled. Schoolchildren in Gaza have lost an entire school year, and the consequences of this will be noticeable, including for stability in the region, says an UNRWA representative.
Threats against the UN
UNRWA’s largest humanitarian operation is in Gaza, but the agency also provides services in Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Jordan.
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UNRWA faces a number of challenges, including a chronic lack of resources, the UN News Service source said. Tuma recalled that as of January this year, 16 countries had cut funding to the agency, but 15 of them are now providing funds again.
In the West Bank, UNRWA faces restrictions on movement and the import of goods, as well as a lack of permits and visas, she added. In addition, attempts to attack and dismantle the agency continue.
Disinformation, rumours, inaccuracies and a host of accusations against the agency continue to be spread on social media and other media outlets, Tuma noted. “This puts my colleagues in Gaza, the West Bank and the region at serious risk,” the UNRWA spokesperson stressed.