UNRWA Commissioner-General: We can only feel the worst is yet to come

“We are in a situation where there is a political decision to eliminate UNRWA,” he said, citing the Israeli Prime Minister’s announcement that there is “no place” for UNRWA in Gaza as well as attempts to block and evict staff from its premises “with the aim to dismantle the agency”.

Reports of Israeli abuses

Taking reporters’ questions, he confirmed that a yet to be published UNRWA report documents experiences of those released from Israeli detention since October, including UNRWA staff, who “have been traumatized” by their “ordeal”.

“It’s a very broad range of ill treatment, and we heard stories of people being systematically humiliated, obliged to be naked, subjected to verbal and psychological abuse,” he said, providing a snapshot of the report’s findings.

Despite the ICJ’s late January order on measures to prevent genocide that called on Israel to, among other things, increase humanitarian assistance delivery into Gaza, he said aid entry into the enclave has since decreased by 50 per cent alongside a rise in alarming indicators, from the killing and injury of hundreds of hungry Palestinians queuing for aid last week to a looming famine “unfolding before our eyes”.

Allegations against UNRWA

Regarding Israel’s fresh claims that 450 UNRWA staff are Hamas members, he noted that while the allegations are on social media, the agency has “never been informed about this”.

“Obviously, I’m frustrated,” he said, regarding the dearth of evidence to all such allegations.

Responding to a question about Israeli claims that UNRWA knew about Hamas-built tunnels under its premises, Mr. Lazzarini said that any information gathered by the agency “was shared with COGAT”, Israel’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories.

Deaths at UNRWA facilities must be investigated

At the same time, more than 400 people have been killed while seeking shelter in UNRWA facilities in Gaza and thousands injured, he continued, calling for a board of inquiry.

“We need to know what happened if a tunnel was discovered” under an agency building and also why so many people were killed when seeking shelter” and safety inside UNRWA buildings, he said.

He reiterated that attempts to eliminate UNRWA are not just based on the behaviour of some of its staff, but is politically driven “to eliminate the status of refugees”.

Lazzarini: ‘UNRWA is at a breaking point’ 

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini started his briefing, noting that the agency “is at a breaking point”.

He said the suffering in Gaza is impossible to adequately describe.

More than 30,000 Palestinians have reportedly been killed since the war started and five per cent of the enclave’s population is dead, injured or missing. There is also a dire shortage of critical lifesaving and medical supplies, and a famine is looming.

“I shudder to think of what will still be revealed about the horrors that have taken place in this narrow strip of land,” Mr. Lazzarini said.

Allegations against staff

He told Member States that on 18 January, one week before the order issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), he was informed by Israeli authorities that 12 out of 30,000 UNRWA staff were allegedly involved in the horrific attacks of 7 October.

“No further information has been provided to me since that day, but the gravity of the allegations necessitated swift action. I terminated the contracts of the staff concerned in the interest of the agency,” he said, noting the ongoing investigation by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS).

“Separately, the Secretary-General commissioned an independent review of our approach to risk management and neutrality,” he added.

In unchartered territory

Mr. Lazzarini further noted that 16 countries paused their funding, totalling $450 million, despite the prompt and decisive actions and the unsubstantiated nature of the allegations.

“UNRWA has no capacity to absorb financial shocks, especially while a war rages in Gaza,” he said, noting that with funding from Member States and donors, UNRWA operations can continue and “remain a lifeline” for Palestine refugees across the region.

However, he cautioned that without additional funding, UNRWA will be in “unchartered territory, with serious implications for global peace and security”.

'Concerted campaign'

He said UNRWA was facing a “deliberate and concerted campaign” to undermine its operations and ultimately end them.

“Part of this campaign involves inundating donors with misinformation designed to foster distrust and tarnish the reputation of the agency,” he said, with the Israeli Prime Minister “openly stating that UNRWA will not be a part of post-war Gaza”.

Three requests

Concluding his briefing, Mr. Lazzarini urged Member States to commit to a political process for peace between Palestinians and Israelis and to chart the transition of UNRWA in this context only. 

In the immediate term, he appealed to the General Assembly to bridge the gap between UNRWA's mandate and funding, ensuring support for its operations. 

Mr. Lazzarini also urged Member States that are seeking alternatives to UNRWA to do so in a way that did not compromise Palestine refugees’ right to self-determination.

“The past 75 years have shown us that without a political solution, wars recur and generations of Palestinians and Israelis suffer. The international community has enabled this vicious cycle by failing to deliver peace for decades. This cannot continue,” he said.