UNRWA chief vows to operate 'until the day we cannot operate anymore'

• UN Palestinian agency 'is a softer target for anyone who views its presence or its activities as a threat,' says Philippe Lazzarini

HAMILTON, Canada

The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) pledged Wednesday to continue activities until the agency can no longer operate amid the Israeli Knesset's recent decision to ban it from operating.

Emphasizing that the situation in the Gaza Strip has become more dire, Philippe Lazzarini told reporters at UN headquarters in New York that "we are experiencing the darkest moment for the agency in 75 years."

Lazzarini noted that UNRWA and its staff are under continued attacks by Israeli forces, adding that "as of today, 243 staff have been killed" on UNRWA premises.

Highlighting the "intense and aggressive" disinformation campaign against the agency, Lazzarini said the adoption of Israeli Knesset's recent bill aiming to ban the activities of UNRWA, starting in January, has further exacerbated the situation.

He stated that there is "deep anxiety" among UNRWA staff on the ground as the environment in the occupied West Bank and in Gaza is putting staff "even more at risk."

"I'm afraid that much worse is to come if we have this pervasive environment," Lazzarini added.

Asked about the possibility of the Knesset bill being implemented, Lazzarini affirmed that, (UNRWA) “will be operating until the day we cannot operate anymore."

He pledged to provide and deliver services to those in need "until we are forced to stop."

The UNRWA chief noted that Israel, as the occupying power, has the responsibility to provide the needs and services for not only those in Gaza but also in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, if the agency can no longer operate.

"UNRWA is a softer target for anyone who views its presence or its activities as a threat," he said. "The intention to undermine UNRWA is politically motivated."

"The (political) objective is to strip the Palestinians from the refugee stature, and also to unilaterally change the parameters for a political solution," he said, adding that the political motivation also aims to undermine Palestinians' aspiration for self-determination and a two-state solution.

Lazzarini described attacks on UNRWA as an attack on the UN, the General Assembly and the Security Council, and said the attacks are "further weakening the rule-based order that we have inherited after World War II."

He emphasized the importance of "political will" for the success of the agency as "there is a race against the clock."

Asked about Israeli envoy to UN Danny Danon's demand for Lazzarini to resign, the UNRWA chief said he would "envisage" the demand if it were to make a difference but "it is not my person, it is my function which is the primary target today."

"It is part of this broader campaign to delegitimize the agency," he added.

Responding to Anadolu's question on the death toll in Gaza as well as his view about the situation if he were not a UN official, Lazzarini said: "It has been a war of all possible superlative."

He said journalists, health care workers, and UN personnel have been killed at "unprecedented" levels, noting that the scale of destruction is "certainly" higher than the numbers reported.

Lazzarini pointed to deaths caused by "sub-human" living conditions, highlighting that children are living amid garbage and sewage.

Saying that nearly every word has been used to describe the situation in Gaza, Lazzarini said, "Sometimes I'm just wordless or speechless."

He noted that even using "massacre” may not fully capture the severity, adding, "It's just unbelievable the suffering inflicted on these communities."

Adding that some people in Gaza hope for death, Lazzarini said, "We heard at the beginning of the war, the expression 'human animal.' That's how people start to feel. They have lost everything, and they feel that they have lost also the dignity."