Tag: humanitarian crisis

UNRWA chief calls for panel to investigate killing of over 390 staff in Gaza on final day of his term

Geneva — UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini used his final press conference in Geneva on Tuesday to call for a panel of experts to investigate the killing of more than 390 UNRWA employees during the Gaza war — a toll that makes the two-year conflict the deadliest in the United Nations’ history for any of its agencies. Lazzarini said discussions on forming the panel are already underway with the office of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and with member states in New York.

Lazzarini said the ongoing conflict in Gaza has so far prevented the panel from becoming operational, but he pressed for it to move forward. He called the scale of staff deaths unacceptable and said impunity for attacks on UN workers opens the door to further violence. Among the cases he cited was the killing of a colleague named Kamal, who left his home in Rafah in a marked UN vehicle wearing his UN vest and whose body was later found near a mass grave with blows to the back of his skull. Israel gave no response to UNRWA’s repeated requests for information about his death.

Lazzarini leaves the role on March 31 without a permanent successor named. Britain’s Christian Saunders, currently a UN Special Coordinator, will step in as a temporary replacement from April 1. In a letter to the President of the UN General Assembly earlier this month, Lazzarini warned that UNRWA may soon no longer be viable, saying that if the agency collapses, Israel would have to take over its humanitarian responsibilities in Gaza.

The agency has faced financial pressure since January 2024, when the US froze funding after Israel accused a dozen UNRWA staff of involvement in the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack. Israel’s parliament later passed a law banning UNRWA from operating in the country. All major donors except the US subsequently resumed funding.

UNRWA has operated for decades as the primary agency providing education, healthcare, and aid to millions of Palestinian refugees. Lazzarini said Palestinian refugees have been left behind and that any collapse of the agency would carry consequences across the region at a time of escalating political and security pressure.

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Over One Million Displaced in Lebanon as Israeli Strikes Continue

Displaced civilians in Lebanon amid Israeli airstrikes and destruction in residential areas

More than one million people have fled their homes in Lebanon since Israel launched its bombing campaign on March 2, according to Lebanese authorities.

Israel began striking Lebanon after Hezbollah fired rockets into Israeli territory in response to the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in joint US-Israeli airstrikes. Israeli forces have since struck residential neighborhoods, villages, and populated areas across the country.

Medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières said the displacement is a direct result of Israeli bombing and evacuation orders that have forced civilians out of their villages across Lebanon.

MSF coordinator in Lebanon Lou Cormack drew direct comparisons to the situation in Gaza. “We are seeing a similarity to what we saw in the past two and a half years in Gaza — broad evacuation orders, constant displacement of thousands of families, and systematic bombing on densely populated areas,” she said.

Cormack said families face a choice between leaving their homes or remaining under active bombardment. “After 15 months of a fragile ceasefire that failed to stop the violence in Lebanon, families are once again trapped between fleeing or facing bombs,” she added.

Lebanese authorities have converted hundreds of schools and public buildings into emergency shelters. Many displaced civilians are sleeping in tents or on the streets as shelter capacity runs out.

The Israeli military confirmed that ground forces have moved into new areas of southern Lebanon. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said displaced civilians will not be allowed to return until the security of Israeli border communities is guaranteed.

Lebanese authorities report that Israeli strikes have killed at least 886 people since March 2, including 111 children

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