Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Maduro: I call on the Jews to stop the war madness practiced by the Zionist regime led by Netanyahu
Maduro: Every day, 100 people are killed in Palestine, and the West is watching and is complicit
Iran's representative to the United Nations, in a letter to Guterres and the Security Council: The threat of America and the Zionist entity to assassinate the Supreme Leader is state terrorism.
Washington to the Security Council: The goal was to destroy Iran's uranium enrichment capacity and prevent the threat of Tehran obtaining and using a nuclear weapon
Lebanese Health Ministry: 1 woman martyred, 11 wounded in Israeli strike on residential apartment in Nabatieh, South Lebanon.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Four civilians injured in Israeli strike that targeted house in Nabatieh al-Fawqa, South Lebanon.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in South Lebanon: Israeli warplanes launch strikes on regions of al-Mahmoudiyah, al-Khardali
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in South Lebanon: Israeli aircraft execute series of strikes in Kfar Tibnit, South Lebanon.
Iranian ambassador in Beijing to Al Mayadeen: We hope that Europe and the US give up their illegal actions and authoritarian hegemony.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Israeli shelling targets displaced persons' tent in Al-Mawasi, Khan Younis, casualties were reported

UNRWA collapse threatens humanitarian aid in Gaza: Lazzarini

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 9 Dec 2023 08:40
4 Min Read

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini says that over 130 confirmed UNRWA staff, predominantly with their families, have been killed by Israeli bombings, adding this number may increase.

  • x
  • The Commissioner-General of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the UN relief agency headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon, September 16, 2020. (AP)
    The Commissioner-General of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the UN relief agency headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon, September 16, 2020. (AP)

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini wrote a letter to UN General Assembly President Dennis Francis on Friday, foreseeing the eventual loss of lives among his team due to the Israeli aggression on Gaza, which he described as the "darkest hour in the agency's 75-year history."

"I must inform you that UNRWA's ability to implement its General Assembly mandate in Gaza is today severely limited, with immediate and dire consequences for the UN humanitarian response and the lives of civilians in Gaza," the letter read.

"The long-term implications for Palestine Refugees and prospects for a fair and lasting political solution are grave," it added.

Almost 2 million forcibly displaced in Gaza since Oct. 7: UNRWA

Lazzarini noted that following Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, several thousand civilians in Gaza preemptively sought refuge in UNRWA premises, anticipating unprecedented aggression and seeking safety under the UN flag. As of Friday, December 8, this number had increased to 1.2 million, approximately half of the Gaza Strip's population, he added.

"UNRWA is, as of today, still operational in the Gaza Strip, though just barely," he said. 

Lazzarini further added that the UNRWA team continues to run health centers, oversee shelters, and offer support to those affected, some of whom arrive with their killed children due to brutal Israeli airstrikes.

"We are still distributing food, even though the courtyards and corridors of our premises are too crowded to walk through. Our staff take their children to work so they know they are safe or can die together," he went on to say.

Lazzarini stated that over 130 confirmed UNRWA staff, predominantly with their families, have been killed by Israeli bombings, adding this number may increase.

Related News

UN says 2024 deadliest year as war on Gaza kills 168 staffers

'Israel' striking UNRWA schools in 'deliberate strategy': The Guardian

If UNRWA collapses...

A minimum of 70% of UNRWA staff members are displaced, facing shortages of food, water, and suitable shelter, he said.

"We are hanging on by our fingertips. If UNRWA collapses, humanitarian assistance in Gaza will also collapse," he tersely stated.

UNRWA Commissioner-General warned that the fundamental basis of UNRWA's mission, which involves delivering services to Palestinian refugees until a political resolution is reached, is under severe threat. 

"Without safe shelter and aid, civilians in Gaza risk death or will be forced to Egypt and beyond. Forced displacement out of Gaza may end prospects for the political solution that is intrinsic to UNRWA’s mandate, with grave risks to regional peace and security. A forced displacement beyond Palestinian land, reminiscent of the 1948 nakba, must be prevented," he added.

"In my 35 years working in complex emergencies, I have never written such a letter - predicting the killing of my staff and the collapse of the mandate I am expected to fulfill," Lazzarini said.

He concluded by urgently requesting a ceasefire in Gaza.

US uses veto power, blocks UNSC resolution calling for Gaza ceasefire

This comes after the United States, on Friday, vetoed a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, shielding its ally.

The US deputy representative at the UN, Robert Wood, said the resolution was "divorced from reality" and "would have not moved the needle forward on the ground."

Thirteen Security Council members voted in favor of a brief draft resolution, presented through the UAE, and Britain abstained. The vote came after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres invoked the UN charter’s Article 99 for it on Wednesday.

"The United Arab Emirates is deeply disappointed," said the representative of the UAE who had sponsored the resolution calling for a ceasefire.

"Regrettably... this council is unable to demand a humanitarian ceasefire."

Read next: 'Israel' thanks US, Biden for vetoing UNSC Gaza ceasefire resolution

  • UNRWA
  • Operation Al-Aqsa Flood
  • Palestine
  • Philippe Lazzarini
  • Gaza genocide
  • Gaza
War on Gaza

War on Gaza

Most Read

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian attends a protest following the US attacks on nuclear sites in Iran, in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, June 22, 2025. (AP)

Iran declares victory as ceasefire forces Israeli retreat

  • Politics
  • 24 Jun 2025
Israeli workers survey the site where a missile launched from Iran struck in Haifa on Sunday, June 22, 2025. (AP)

True Promise 3, wave 20: 40 missiles launched, Kheibar-Shekan in first

  • Politics
  • 22 Jun 2025
Iran launches strikes on Israeli targets, despite alleged ceasefire

Iran victorious as ceasefire with 'Israel' takes effect

  • Politics
  • 24 Jun 2025
Iranian worshippers carry their country's flags in a protest to condemn Israeli attacks on multiple cities across Iran, after the Friday prayers ceremony in Tehran, Iran, Friday, June 20, 2025. (AP)

Iran warns of NPT withdrawal, Strait of Hormuz closure after US attack

  • Politics
  • 22 Jun 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Israeli occupation soldiers search for settlers amid the rubble of buildings destroyed by an Iranian missile strike in Bat Yam, central occupied Palestine, on Sunday, June 15, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Iran missile strike flattens Bat Yam, displaces 2,000 settlers

Palestinian fighters from the Islamic Jihad militant group riding on a truck with weaponry on display take part in an anti-Israel parade marking the 36th anniversary of the movement's founding, in Gaza City, Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023 (AP)
Politics

Palestinian Resistance attacks Israeli forces in Khan Younis, Jabalia

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stands waiting to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin for the talks at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Monday, June 23, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Iran suspends IAEA cooperation, Araghchi blames Grossi for attacks

The commander of the Quds Force's Palestine Unit, Brigadier General Mohammad Said Izadi (Illustrated by Mahdi Rtail for Al Mayadeen English)
Politics

Who was Mohammad Said Izadi, head of the Quds Force's Palestine Unit?

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS