UN Relief Chief: Attempts to Sideline UNRWA from Gaza Must Stop

The UN Deputy Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, has urged an end to attempts to expel the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) from the Gaza Strip.

In a post on X, the UN Relief Chief said: "Attempts to sideline UNRWA must stop. UNRWA is the backbone of the humanitarian operation in Gaza. Any effort to distribute aid without them is simply doomed to fail."

Griffiths emphasized that aid cannot be provided without the presence of UNRWA.

"No other agency has the same reach, experience or community trust needed to do the job."

According to a report by The Guardian newspaper, Israel has submitted a proposal to the United Nations to dissolve UNRWA. The proposal includes transferring hundreds of UNRWA employees to other United Nations organizations, such as the World Food Programme, or to a new organization created specifically to distribute food aid in Gaza.