Philippe Lazzarini, the chief of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), said that the agency was at risk of death and also at risk of dismantlement after the Israeli government alleged that some of the agency’s staff took part in Hamas’ October 7 attack last year. In an interview with Swiss broadcaster RTS that was aired on Saturday (Mar 9), Lazzarini said that he was cautiously optimistic some donors would start funding it again within weeks.
“I am cautiously optimistic that within the next few weeks, and also following the publication of Catherine Colonna’s report, a number of donors will return,” Lazzarini said.
Israel had accused 12 of UNRWA’s 13,000 staff in the war-torn Gaza Strip of involvement in the October 7 attack. Following the accusation, several countries, including the United States, stopped funding the agency.
‘If we got rid of UNRWA…’
UNRWA fired some staff members, saying it acted to protect the agency’s ability to deliver humanitarian assistance. A report by the news agency Reuters said that an independent review of the agency had been launched under French former foreign minister Catherine Colonna. A final report on the matter is expected to be published in April.
In Gaza, the agency runs schools, healthcare clinics, and other social services, and also distributes humanitarian aid. “What is at stake is the fate of the Palestinians today in Gaza in the short term who are going through an absolutely unprecedented humanitarian crisis,” Lazzarini told RTS, adding, that the UNRWA is the only agency that delivers public services to Palestinian refugees.
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“We are the quasi-ministry of education, of primary health. If we were to get rid of such a body, who would bring back the millions of girls and boys who are traumatised in the Gaza Strip today back to a learning environment?” he further said.
UNRWA slams Israel for threats to detained staff
Last month, the UNRWA said in a report that some of its employees released into Gaza from Israeli detention reported having been pressured by Israeli authorities into falsely stating that the agency has Hamas links and the staff took part in the October 7 attack.
The report said that several UNRWA Palestinian staffers had been detained by the Israeli army, and added that the ill-treatment and abuse they said they had experienced included severe physical beatings, waterboarding, and threats of harm to family members.
“Agency staff members have been subject to threats and coercion by the Israeli authorities while in detention, and pressured to make false statements against the Agency, including that the Agency has affiliations with Hamas and that UNRWA staff members took part in the 7 October 2023 atrocities,” the report added.
(With inputs from agencies)
