PGA condemns ‘catastrophic, unconscionable, shameful’ conditions in Gaza

Anjali Sharma

GG News Bureau
UNITED NATIONS, 5th March. Head of the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini on Monday briefed the Member States of the world body and discussed the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza and the critical work of the UN agency which is facing an existential threat, he told.

UN General Assembly held a debate this morning on the US veto of the latest Security Council draft resolution which called for a ceasefire in Gaza.

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini told reporters in a press conference in New York that “We can only feel the worst is yet to come”.

He said that “We are in a situation where there is a political decision to eliminate UNRWA.”

Lazzarini cited the Israeli Prime Minister’s announcement that there is “no place” for UNRWA in Gaza as well as attempts to block and evict staff from its premises “with the aim to dismantle the agency”.

He confirmed that a yet to be published UNRWA report documents experiences of those released from Israeli detention since October, including UNRWA staff, who “have been traumatized” by their “ordeal”.

“It’s a very broad range of ill treatment, and we heard stories of people being systematically humiliated, obliged to be naked, subjected to verbal and psychological abuse,” he said.

He gave a snapshot of the report’s findings.

Lazarrini said that despite the ICJ’s late January order on measures to prevent genocide that called on Israel to, among other things, increase humanitarian assistance delivery into Gaza.

He said aid entry into the enclave has since decreased by 50 per cent alongside a rise in alarming indicators, from the killing and injury of hundreds of hungry Palestinians queuing for aid last week to a looming famine “unfolding before our eyes”.

On Israel’s fresh claims that 450 UNRWA staff are Hamas members, he noted that while the allegations are on social media, the agency has “never been informed about this”.

“Obviously, I’m frustrated,” he said, regarding the dearth of evidence to all such allegations.

On Israeli claims that UNRWA knew about Hamas-built tunnels under its premises, Mr. Lazzarini said that any information gathered by the agency “was shared with COGAT”, Israel’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories.

He noted that over 400 people have been killed while seeking shelter in UNRWA facilities in Gaza and thousands injured, he continued, called for a board of inquiry.

“We need to know what happened if a tunnel was discovered” under an agency building and also why so many people were killed when seeking shelter” and safety inside UNRWA buildings, he said.

He reiterated that attempts to eliminate UNRWA are not just based on the behavior of some of its staff, but is politically driven “to eliminate the status of refugees”.

Philippe Lazzarini began his briefing, noted that the agency “is at a breaking point”.

He said the suffering in Gaza is impossible to adequately describe.

He said over 30,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war started and 5% of the Gaza population is dead, injured or missing. There is also a dire shortage of critical lifesaving and medical supplies, and a famine is looming.

“I shudder to think of what will still be revealed about the horrors that have taken place in this narrow strip of land,” Mr. Lazzarini said.

He told Member States that on 18 January, one week before the order issued by the International Court of Justice he was informed by Israeli authorities that 12 out of 30,000 UNRWA staff were allegedly involved in the horrific attacks of 7 October.

“No further information has been provided to me since that day, but the gravity of the allegations necessitated swift action. I terminated the contracts of the staff concerned in the interest of the agency,” he said.

Philippe Lazzarini noted the ongoing investigation by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services.

“Separately, the Secretary-General commissioned an independent review of our approach to risk management and neutrality,” he added.

Mr. Lazzarini noted that 16 countries paused their funding, totaling $450 million, despite the prompt and decisive actions and the unsubstantiated nature of the allegations.

“UNRWA has no capacity to absorb financial shocks, especially while a war rages in Gaza,” he said.

Lazzarini noted that with funding from Member States and donors UNRWA operations can continue and “remain a lifeline” for Palestine refugees across the region.

He cautioned that without additional funding, UNRWA will be in “unchartered territory, with serious implications for global peace and security”.

He said UNRWA was facing a “deliberate and concerted campaign” to undermine its operations and ultimately end them.

“Part of this campaign involves inundating donors with misinformation designed to foster distrust and tarnish the reputation of the agency,” he said with the Israeli Prime Minister “openly stating that UNRWA will not be a part of post-war Gaza”.

Mr. Lazzarini urged Member States to commit to a political process for peace between Palestinians and Israelis and to chart the transition of UNRWA in this context only.

In the immediate term, he appealed to the General Assembly to bridge the gap between UNRWA’s mandate and funding, ensuring support for its operations.

He urged Member States that are seeking alternatives to UNRWA to do so in a way that did not compromise Palestine refugees’ right to self-determination.

“The past 75 years have shown us that without a political solution, wars recur and generations of Palestinians and Israelis suffer. The international community has enabled this vicious cycle by failing to deliver peace for decades. This cannot continue,” he added.

Mr. Lazzarini noted that 16 countries paused their funding, totaling $450 million, despite the prompt and decisive actions and the unsubstantiated nature of the allegations.

“UNRWA has no capacity to absorb financial shocks, especially while a war rages in Gaza,” he said.

He noted that with funding from Member States and donors, UNRWA operations can continue and “remain a lifeline” for Palestine refugees across the region

Top official cautioned that without additional funding, UNRWA will be in “unchartered territory, with serious implications for global peace and security”.

He said UNRWA was facing a “deliberate and concerted campaign” to undermine its operations and ultimately end them.

“Part of this campaign involves inundating donors with misinformation designed to foster distrust and tarnish the reputation of the agency,” he said.

He said that the Israeli Prime Minister “openly stating that UNRWA will not be a part of post-war Gaza”.

President of the General Dennis Francis warned that UNRWA “faces imminent collapse”.

Mr. Francis said UNRWA mandated agency has been the only lifeline for the Palestinian people.

He cited UNRWA services for almost six million refugees, including schools and healthcare, in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.

UNRWA has been a powerful reflection of what the United Nations stands for, he stressed.

He noted that the agency’s mandate expires on 30 June 2026, UNRWA may not survive without immediate and decisive action.

He said that the agency was envisioned, at its inception in 1949, as a temporary measure awaiting the resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Mr. Francis highlighted ongoing investigations into Israel’s allegations that a dozen UNRWA staff members were complicit in the Hamas attacks in October, he said that in the wake of recent scrutiny, the agency must continue to discharge its mandate.

“Let us not through inertia and inaction forsake our responsibility to the Palestinian people nor dishonor the memory of the 160 UNRWA staff who have been killed in Gaza during this current crisis,” he said.

He called for an immediate end to the carnage and tragedy, which has claimed far too many lives.

“Let us seize the urgency of this moment to not only support UNRWA to rebuild itself, but to find a permanent resolution to this senseless and brutal conflict,” he concluded.

Dennis Francis called to order an informal meeting of the plenary for a briefing by UNRWA Commissioner-General, Philippe Lazzarini.

Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine, Riyad Mansour stated that there is no greater to international peace and security than the commission of atrocities.

He added that for five months now, “Israel has been committing atrocities against the Palestinian people, unchecked and unhinged.”

“The Security Council has been prevented repeatedly from calling for an immediate ceasefire to put an end to these atrocities,” he said.

He emphasized the dire impact of the conflict on Palestinian civilians, especially children, and demanding that the “war of atrocities” must stop.

“Israel must be told to ceasefire, to cease fire now,” he said.

Mr. Mansour stated that there were “reasons why ethnic cleansing” was possible in Palestine.

“It is the certainty of the perpetrators that they will never be held accountable,” he added, calling for an end to “Israeli impunity”.

“The era of Israeli impunity must come to an end, and we should enter a new era of accountability and sanctions,” he stressed.

Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gilad Menashe Erdan said that it has been 150 days since Hamas committed “the most brutal and barbaric massacre since the Holocaust”.

“Once again, this General Assembly has convened not to condemn Hamas, no. Not to condemn their atrocities, but to focus again only on the situation in Gaza, as if 7 October never happened, as if there are not 134 innocent hostages held and tortured in Gaza right now,” he said.

He noted that over the five months, “not one” discussion at the Assembly on the wellbeing of hostages or on the sexual violence perpetrated by the group.

Mr. Erdan called on the Secretary-General and the Security Council to convene immediately to “finally condemn Hamas’ heinous crimes”.

“Hamas must face unrelenting pressure to end their sexual violence and release all of the hostages immediately,” he stressed.

Qatari Ambassador to the UN Alya Ahmed Saif Al-Thani spoke on behalf of the Gulf Cooperation Council noted that the failed draft resolution sought to respond to “the worst humanitarian disaster in modern history caused by the ongoing aggression launched by Israeli occupation forces”.

She said the number of victims continues to grow and has exceeded 30,000, with tens of thousands more wounded and missing under the rubble, according to UN reports. Women and children comprise the majority of victims while two million people are internally displaced.

“The GCC member States reiterate their deep regret regarding the failure of the Security Council to adopt a draft resolution called for an immediate ceasefire, despite the fact that this draft resolution garnered the support of 13 members of the Security Council,” she said.

She added “This was backing away from the historic commitment in the preamble of the UN Charter that called for saving succeeding generations from the scourge of war.”

Yemini Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN, Abdullah Ali Fadhel Al-Saadi spoke on behalf of the Arab Group said that the “repeated failure” of the Security Council to undertake its duties and obligations in safeguarding international peace and security and stopping the bloodshed in the Gaza Strip “is a stain on the conscience of the Council and of humanity as a whole”.

“The draft resolution had reflected a balanced position and gave priority to humanitarian dimensions to save hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, yet it was disappointing to see a member of the Security Council using the veto right,” he said.

“This has allowed the Israeli military machine to continue its massacres against Palestinians civilians,” he added,.

He enumerated the impact of the war on civilians, especially women and children, and the dire humanitarian situation.

Abdullah Ali Fadhel Al-Saadi, said that the continuation of the “criminal practices” required the General Assembly and UN Member States to “seriously consider” practical steps to “stop this madness and stop the Palestinian bloodshed”.

“The Arab Group demands the international community and the Security Council to guarantee the protection of civilians ensure access and delivery of humanitarian aid at an expanded level without any obstruction, and implementing Security Council resolutions 2712 and 2720,” he added.

Ambassador and Head of Delegation of the European Union Stavros Lambrinidis said that ending the civilian suffering and preventing further loss of lives in Gaza is an “absolute priority”.

“Too many lives have been lost already, too many more are at stake,” he said.

He expressed strong support for efforts by the US, Qatar and Egypt to work towards agreement on the release of hostages and a temporary ceasefire to ensure a sustained end to hostilities.

“We call on Hamas to immediately release all hostages without any pre-conditions,” he said.

Ambassador Lambrinidis voiced the regional bloc’s deep concern over the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and stressed the need for immediate improvement of aid access over land.

He highlighted concerns over a possible ground operation in Rafah, where over a million Palestinians are sheltering from the fighting and underscored the need to ensure full respect of international law, including international humanitarian law, by all sides.

“There must be accountability for violations of international law, on all sides,” he said.

Envoy of Malta to the UN Vanessa Frazier on behalf of the “E-10”, the 10 elected members of the Security Council said that the draft resolution that was vetoed on 20 February was a “carefully crafted” text addressing the situation on the ground in a comprehensive manner.

“All E-10 countries voted in favour and we deeply regret that the text was vetoed,” she said.

“As elected members, we firmly believe that the Council has the duty and the responsibility to act decisively when faced with such situation,” she said.

She voiced the group’s concern over the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Ms. Frazier noted that UNRWRA has a “central role” in ensuring an effective humanitarian response.

“Its staff has continued to play that role, even under life-threatening conditions,” she said.

She highlighted the impact of the conflict on civilians, in particular women and children.

Ms. Frazier recalled recent Security Council resolutions on the crisis, and the 26 January order issued by the International Court of Justice.

“We emphasize the fact that the protection of civilians is of paramount importance,” she added.

She stressed that all parties must comply with their obligations under international al law, including international humanitarian and human rights laws.

Ms. Frazier emphasized the importance of the two-State solution.

British Ambassador to the UN Barbara Woodward said that the suffering in Gaza cannot continue,

She stated that UK and Jordan airdropped tonnes of lifesaving aid to the Tal Al-Hawa Hospital in northern Gaza and announced $5.4 million in additional financing to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) to support more than 100,000 women and girls in Gaza strip.

Ms. Woodward called for an urgent investigation into the deaths of people waiting for aid at a convoy last week, which she said must not happen again.

“We cannot separate what happened from the inadequate aid supplies in February,” she added.

She noted that only half the number of trucks crossed into Gaza compared to January.

Ms. Woodward said this latest tragedy serves only to underscore the importance of securing an immediate end in fighting, leading to a permanent and sustainable ceasefire.

“The negotiations led by Egypt, Qatar and the US are the only way to get lifesaving aid in at the scale needed and to free the hostages currently held by Hamas,” she said.

“Such a deal would offer the basis from which to achieve a sustainable ceasefire and lasting peace.”

Iranian Ambassador to the UN Amir Saeid Iravani said the US veto will be judged by history. The gravity of the situation in Gaza has garnered the international community’s attention as Israel uses starvation as a weapon of war.

“The Council’s silence has become a license to kill,” he said.

He condemned the most recent attack on Palestinians seeking aid last Thursday near Gaza City, which killed more than 100 people.

Amir Saeid Iravani called for an immediate ceasefire in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

He said the US obstruction of the Algerian draft resolution runs counter the global call for ending the hostilities.

The principles of international law must protect civilians, he said.

He added that a ceasefire must also prevent the starvation of Gaza’s people.

Amir Saeid Iravani reiterated that all provisional measures announced by the ICJ must be implemented. Considering the Council’s ongoing impasse, he said Member States are required to take steps to prevent genocide in Gaza.