New York – Saba:
The Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, stated on Saturday that "the marginalization and weakening of UNRWA has nothing to do with allegations of diverting aid to armed groups."
He emphasized that it is "a deliberate measure to pressure and collectively punish Palestinians for living in Gaza."
In a post on his X (formerly Twitter) account, monitored by the Yemeni News Agency (SABA), Lazzarini added that the famine in Gaza has been significantly exacerbated by deliberate attempts to replace the UN-coordinated humanitarian aid system with an alternative aid system, which he said "has been responsible for the deaths of nearly 1,400 people from starvation."
He further noted that "the famine in Gaza has deepened due to the prevention of UNRWA—the backbone of the humanitarian response—from bringing aid into Gaza for the past five months."
"There is no more time to waste," he stressed, calling for "a political decision to open the crossings without restrictions or conditions."
Lazzarini pointed out that UNRWA "has the expertise, staff, and necessary resources to contribute on a full scale."
Since October 7, 2023, the Israeli enemy, with U.S. support, has been committing genocide in Gaza, including killing, starvation, destruction, and forced displacement, disregarding international appeals and the International Court of Justice's orders to halt it.
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are facing an unprecedented wave of hunger since the Israeli enemy closed the crossings in early March 2024, imposing severe restrictions on the entry of food, relief supplies, fuel, and medicine.
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