Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said that the UNRWA remains in operation and will do so going forward, in order to serve and support Palestinian refugees and all Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Lazzarini spoke with Palestinian communities and agency staff who continue to work to support people in the war-torn Strip during his visit on Wednesday, according to the UN website. “I came to Gaza today for the first time since October 7, and I wanted to visit a shelter here in Rafah, and I went to an overcrowded school, a school that was also indirectly bombed, where recently 80 people were injured and one person was killed,” Lazzarini said in his visit to the Strip on Wednesday. Lazzarini added that he saw almost all the children trying to express in their own way their need for food and water. “I had never seen anything like this in Gaza before when I visited after previous conflicts.” The UNRWA chief further added that he traveled to Gaza to speak with UNRWA staff in order to convey his respect for all those working on the front lines, underscoring that 70 UNRWA colleagues have been killed in Gaza since October 7. He stated that the majority of the UNRWA’s personnel are in the same condition as the rest of Gaza’s populace, since they are also displaced and struggle every day to acquire water and food. “”Despite this, they continue to uphold their commitment to communities, working around the clock to make the impossible possible.” He stated that the UNRWA staff he met in Gaza asked him to continue advocating for the expansion of the humanitarian operation and to convey the message that “more than ever, we need a humanitarian truce in order to succeed in expanding the scope of aid.”

Source: Jordan News Agency