\n<\/p>\n
The Israeli Parliament, known as the Knesset, recently approved two laws banning UNRWA from operating in its territory and prohibiting officials from having any contact with the agency.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Israel has officially informed the President of the UN General Assembly of the adoption of the new legislation. The letter says all cooperation with the agency will cease after 90 days.\u00a0<\/p>\n
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said on Monday that last month, Israel allowed a daily average of 30 humanitarian trucks into Gaza<\/strong>, which is only six per cent of the commercial and humanitarian supplies allowed in before the war.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the lowest in a long time, bringing the assistance back to the level of the beginning of the war,\u201d he wrote on the social media platform X.<\/p>\n \u201cThis cannot meet the needs of over two million people, many of whom are starving, sick and in desperate conditions<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n He said that \u201cmeanwhile, UNRWA continues to distribute whatever is allowed in.\u201d<\/p>\n Staff have provided food aid to more than 1.9 million Gazans since the war erupted last October, while hundreds of thousands in and around its shelters have received basic supplies.<\/p>\n The UN agency is also the largest primary healthcare provider in the enclave, and its teams have provided over six million medical consultations.<\/p>\n Mr. Lazzarini stressed that much more aid must be allowed into Gaza, including through UNRWA, the largest humanitarian organization and service provider there.<\/p>\n \u201cRestricting humanitarian access and at the same time dismantling UNRWA will add an additional layer of suffering to already unspeakable suffering<\/strong>. Only political will can put an end to a politically made situation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Children in Gaza play in a school converted into a shelter for families displaced by the conflict.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n In an earlier tweet, Mr. Lazzarini focused on how UNRWA also educates scores of young Palestinians.<\/p>\n He said children and their education are not featured in discussions by \u201cexperts\u201d or politicians as debate intensifies on replacing the agency.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy? Because in the absence of a functioning State, there is no alternative,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Until last October, over 300,000 boys and girls in Gaza \u2013 half of all schoolchildren there \u2013 attended UNRWA schools, and they are now losing out on a second year of studies.<\/p>\n Nearly 50,000 children in the West Bank also go to UNRWA schools.<\/p>\n Mr. Lazzarini explained that UNRWA is the only UN agency that directly provides education in UN schools.\u00a0 The agency runs the only system in the region that includes a human rights programme following UN standards and values.<\/p>\n \u201cDismantling UNRWA in the absence of a viable alternative will deprive Palestinian children of learning in the foreseeable future<\/strong>,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWithout learning, children slip into hopelessness, poverty and radicalization<\/strong>. Without learning, children fall prey into exploitation including joining armed groups. Without learning, this region will remain unstable and volatile,\u201d he warned.<\/p>\n He said that instead of focusing on banning UNRWA or finding alternatives, attention should be on reaching an agreement to end the conflict.<\/p>\n In the interim, the fighting continues to exact a heavy toll on young lives across the Gaza Strip.<\/p>\n UN Children\u2019s Fund, UNICEF,\u00a0said on Saturday that more than 50 boys and girls were killed in strikes in Jabalya, North Gaza, over the previous two days.<\/p>\n The personal vehicle of one of its staff members working on the mass campaign to vaccinate young children against polio also came under fire while she was driving, causing damage.<\/p>\n Additionally, at least three children were reportedly injured by another attack in the proximity of a vaccination clinic in Sheikh Radwan, while a polio vaccination campaign was underway.<\/p>\n UNICEF chief Catherine Russell said these attacks are yet further examples of the grave consequences of the indiscriminate strikes on civilians in Gaza.<\/p>\n \u201cAttacks on civilians, including humanitarian workers, and what remains of Gaza\u2019s civilian facilities and infrastructure must stop,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Moreover, she warned that \u201cthe entire Palestinian population in North Gaza, especially children, is at imminent risk of dying from disease, famine, and the ongoing bombardments.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\nA lifeline for millions<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\u2018No alternative\u2019 to UNRWA<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Potential dire consequences<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Deadly weekend for children<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Risks in the north<\/strong><\/h2>\n