Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief & Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA [8]) Philippe Lazzarini on June 1 urged [9] Israel to lift the aid blockade in Gaza.
Lazzarini charged [10] on his social media platform that under Israeli military control "aid distribution has become a death trap." The UNRWA head asserted that aid distribution in Gaza can only be effectively achieved through the United Nations. He demanded that Israel allow the UN to manage a safe and at-scale delivery of aid in Gaza, calling this "the only way to avert mass starvation including among 1 million children."
The statement came hours after disputed reports of Israeli forces firing on civilians near a "Safe Distribution Point" in the Tal al-Sultan area of southern Gaza operated by the private US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). While Gaza's Civil Defense agency claimed the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) were responsible for the gunfire, the IDF called [13] this a false report. The IDF further cited now-deleted footage [14] to assert that Hamas is firing at civilians near aid distribution points. In light of these disputed reports, Lazzarini added [15]: "With competing narratives and disinformation campaigns in full gear, international media must be allowed into Gaza to independently report on the ongoing atrocities."
Reports indicate at least 31 deaths and more than 150 injured as civilians approached the GHF point. Lazzarini criticized the GHF operation as a "humiliating system." He said that Palestinians are forced to walk for tens of miles through areas devastated by Israeli attacks, and that the distribution points themselves are neither safe nor at needed scale. GHF has also been described [16] by rights organizations as illegitimate and inhumane, and acting in breach of international law.
UNRWA's latest reports [17] confirm that around 632,700 people have been forcibly displaced in Gaza since the ceasefire ended March 18. Israeli forces have also targeted UNRWA facilities, with at least 310 UNRWA members killed and 311 installations damaged since Oct. 7, 2023. UNRWA schools have also been targeted [18] by Israeli forces, threatening Palestinian children's right to education [19]. UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Process Sigrid Kaag has urged [20] a ceasefire and aid access to Gaza.
The international community has also voiced serious concerns about Israeli actions. The EU [21] demanded that Israel allow humanitarian access in Gaza, and the governments of the UK, France and Canada recently delivered a joint statement [22] opposing Israel's ongoing military operations against the Palestinians.
From JURIST [23], June 2. Used with permission.
See our last reports on the GHF [24], UNRWA [25], and accusations of Israeli genocide [26].
