UNRWA chief condemns Israeli efforts to sideline Gaza aid agency
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UNRWA's chief says sidelining the agency is a political move worsening Gaza famine, accusing the Israeli regime of targeting aid systems and blocking humanitarian relief.
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Displaced Palestinians live in a school run by UNRWA, the UN agency, in Gaza City, Monday, June 23, 2025 (AP)
The Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, has denounced what he described as deliberate efforts to marginalize the agency’s role in providing humanitarian aid to Gaza.
In a post on X, Lazzarini warned that these actions represent a “collective punishment” and an attempt to “pressure Palestinians simply for remaining in Gaza.”
He emphasized that the famine in Gaza, caused by the actions of the Israeli regime, has worsened due to attempts to replace the UN-coordinated humanitarian relief system with what is being branded as the "Gaza Humanitarian Mission." Lazzarini referred to this body as a "so-called politically motivated relief scheme" responsible for the deaths of nearly 1,400 starving Palestinians.
Since March 2, 2025, UNRWA has been barred from bringing any aid into the besieged enclave. Lazzarini stressed that the agency, which he called “the backbone of the humanitarian response in Gaza,” has been deliberately sidelined, worsening the catastrophe.
Condemnations against UNRWA marginalization
He rejected claims that the marginalization of UNRWA stems from concerns about aid diversion to armed groups, stating instead that the move is part of a broader political strategy aimed at placing additional pressure on the Palestinian population.
The manmade famine in #Gaza has been largely shaped by the deliberate attempts to replace the UN coordinated humanitarian system through the politically motivated “GHF”. It is a so called “aid system” responsible for the killing of nearly 1,400 starving people.
— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) August 2, 2025
All has been…
Lazzarini called for an urgent political decision to open the crossings without conditions, stressing that UNRWA possesses the necessary expertise, staff, and logistical capabilities to alleviate Gaza’s suffering.
Meanwhile, the Israeli occupation continues its genocidal war on Gaza, targeting civilians waiting for food at distribution points. The death toll of Palestinians killed while awaiting aid has now reached 1,422.
The blockade-induced famine has claimed the lives of at least 169 Palestinians, including 93 children, as starvation deepens across the Gaza Strip under the ongoing Israeli siege.
Over 115 dead of hunger
Hospitals in Gaza have reported the death of more than 115 people due to starvation caused by the Israeli occupation’s blockade. The worsening famine is spreading across the entire Strip, compounded by the complete closure of all crossings for 145 consecutive days and the continued prevention of essential humanitarian aid and baby formula from entering.
In a statement released on Thursday, the Government Media Office in Gaza warned of a near-total absence of food, water, and medicine. It stressed that the Strip urgently requires at least 500,000 bags of flour per week to avert total humanitarian collapse.
The office also addressed circulating claims made by some activists outside Gaza, suggesting the famine has been broken or that "hundreds of aid trucks" have entered, categorically denying the assertions.
"These claims have no basis in reality," the statement emphasized, warning that such narratives dangerously echo Israeli propaganda and distort the truth of the ongoing humanitarian crime.
