UNRWA chief warns against 'short-sighted' agency closure
Lazzarini's comments come amidst mounting pressure on UNRWA following allegations of staff involvement in the October 7 Hamas massacre
Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), has strongly criticized recent calls for the agency's closure, labeling them "short-sighted" and warning of potential disastrous consequences for Gaza.
"I have warned about the impact, I have said that these calls are short-sighted," Lazzarini stated after meeting with member states at the United Nations in Geneva.
"Closing UNRWA would not just impact the current humanitarian crisis... If we want to give a chance to any future transition to succeed, we need to make sure that the international community has the tools, and one of the tools is UNRWA," he emphasized.
Lazzarini's comments come amidst mounting pressure on UNRWA following allegations of staff involvement in the October 7 Hamas massacre, leading major donors to suspend funding. However, he staunchly refuted claims of collaboration with Hamas, asserting the agency's critical role in delivering essential services, particularly education, to Palestinian children.
Regarding recent revelations of a subterranean data center operated by Hamas beneath the UNRWA headquarters in Gaza City, Lazzarini stated, "There is absolutely no other UN agency or international NGOs which have been tasked... to provide government-like services like education to hundreds of thousands of children."
As the war between Israel and Hamas contnues, Lazzarini has called for an independent investigation into the tunnel allegations and the destruction of United Nations premises in Gaza.
He warned against hasty decisions to dismantle UNRWA, stressing its significance in addressing the current crisis and facilitating future transitions in the region.
"It would be a disaster... just before it, we get rid of UNRWA," Lazzarini told reporters.