Agency collapse will deprive Palestinian refugees of education and health services. UNRWA chief: agency collapse will destroy any chance for peace in the region Humanitarian aid
Without decisive intervention by the General Assembly, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) could be unable to carry out its mandate, with disastrous consequences for the Palestinians and the region, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini warned in a letter sent to UN General Assembly President Philemon Young on Tuesday.
New Israeli Law
The Israeli Knesset has passed laws banning Israeli officials from interacting with UNRWA representatives and banning the agency from operating in an area defined as “Israeli sovereign territory.”
Lazzarini warns that these measures could lead to the collapse of UNRWA operations, which are crucial to humanitarian efforts in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
According to the letter, the Israeli government has already made diplomatic efforts to stop international funding for the agency. In occupied East Jerusalem, local authorities have threatened to evict UNRWA from its headquarters to make way for settlements.
Human Rights Under Threat
UN Human Rights Commissioner Volker Türk called the Knesset decision “deeply disturbing for many reasons.”
UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) spokesman Jeremy Lawrence said the High Commissioner had highlighted the potential impact of the ban on the rights of all those whose well-being depends on UNRWA’s humanitarian assistance.
“Without UNRWA, food supplies, health and education services, among other things, will cease for most of the people of Gaza,” he said.
Dire humanitarian situation
Lazzarini described “the most intense bombing of civilians since World War II” in Gaza, which has killed more than 43,000 people, mostly women and children. Almost all of the enclave’s residents were forced to leave their homes and shelters, and key civilian facilities – schools, hospitals, water systems and agricultural lands – were destroyed.
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In the West Bank, the UNRWA chief said the destruction of infrastructure was exacerbating the humanitarian crisis and the collective punishment of Palestinians.
Chances for stabilization
The agency’s collapse would deprive Palestinian refugees of education and health services, leading to long-term risks of radicalization and further destabilization, Lazzarini warned.
He recalled that UNRWA provides education to 660,000 children. UNRWA’s collapse would destroy any chance of reconstruction or a political settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Commissioner-General said.
Israeli accusations
Commenting on allegations that militant groups had used UNRWA premises, Lazzarini noted that an April 2024 report by an independent panel led by Catherine Colonna confirmed that the agency had robust systems in place to ensure neutrality.
According to the letter, UNRWA has repeatedly requested evidence from the Israeli government in response to the allegations, but has received no response. Lazzarini called for an independent investigation into allegations that UNRWA facilities were being used for military purposes by parties to the conflict.
International support
The agency chief recalled that since the start of the escalation, at least 237 UNRWA staff had been killed and more than 200 of its facilities had been damaged or destroyed, including shelters where more than 560 civilians had died.
Lazzarini called on Member States to urgently intervene to protect UNRWA’s ability to carry out its mandate, noting that its staff are working tirelessly in appalling conditions, with many enduring their own tragedies. Without global support, the agency’s collapse would deepen the humanitarian crisis, threaten regional stability and undermine hopes for a political solution.
“The rules-based international order is crumbling,” the UNRWA chief warned, comparing the current crisis to the conditions that led to the creation of the United Nations. He called on the General Assembly to take urgent action to ensure the agency’s future.
“The people of Gaza say that UNRWA is the only pillar of their life that is still intact,” Lazzarini said.
Political Settlement
In turn, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Thor Wennesland, said today during a meeting of the Security Council that the region is going through “the most dangerous time in decades.”
He mentioned, in particular, the attack in Beit Lahia, which left at least 90 people missing or dead on Monday, including 25 children. Wennesland emphasized that since October 2023, the conflict has claimed the lives of more than 42,000 Palestinians and 1,600 Israelis.
“We urgently need an agreement on a ceasefire and the release of hostages in Gaza,” he urged.
The Special Coordinator emphasized that he is extremely concerned about the events that undermine the basic principles of the peace process. This includes Israeli efforts to shut down UNRWA.
Wennesland told the Security Council that irreversible unilateral steps that undermine the two-state solution must end as part of a political settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“We urgently need a comprehensive agreement to establish a political and security structure in Gaza in accordance with the principles I have repeatedly outlined in this Council,” he said.
This must include the existence of a Palestinian government that can reunite Gaza and the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, politically, economically and administratively – without reducing its territory or displacing Palestinians from the Strip.