200 UNRWA Staff Members Killed Since Begin of Israeli War on Gaza, Says Lazzarini

On Monday, the Commissioner-General of the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees, UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, said that continuous Israeli bombardment has made Gaza unsuitable for children. 

He mentioned that if a ceasefire is achieved, the agency would prioritize reinvesting in educational activities and primary healthcare in Gaza. 

Lazzarini also noted that 200 UNRWA staff members have been killed since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza and that Israeli military operations have targeted the agency's institutions. 

In the same context, he emphasized that UNRWA is facing a campaign aimed at dismantling and undermining its role in Gaza, and highlighted that 250,000 Palestinians have been displaced from Khan Younis this week due to the absence of a safe place in Gaza. 

Lazzarini added that around 500 people were seeking refuge with UNRWA and that half of their facilities were destroyed. 

He also pointed out that half of Gaza's population is under the age of 18 and that the war is depriving an entire generation of the right to education after most schools have been destroyed. 

Furthermore, he stressed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of captives, and the provision of humanitarian aid. 

This was said in a joint press conference with Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emigration, and Egyptian Expatriates Affairs Badr Abdelatty, who stated that Gaza cannot handle more destruction and emphasized the necessity of unconditional humanitarian aid entry in Gaza. 

Abdelatty reiterated the importance of UNRWA as the only agency with distribution centers in the strip and called for an immediate ceasefire and the unconditional access of humanitarian and medical aid to Gaza.

On Sunday, Egypt strongly condemned the Israeli airstrikes on a UNRWA school in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. The attacks resulted in the deaths and injuries of numerous innocent civilians. 

The Foreign Ministry issued a statement criticizing the Israeli authorities for their continued violation of international law and called on them to cease targeting civilians and to ensure the protection of safe areas.