Briefing journalists in Geneva uon his return from Rafah
governorate, Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of UNRWA, explained that people
were “desperate, hungry and are terrified”, 69 days since the
Israeli military bombardment began in response to the 7 October
Hamas terror attacks in southern Israel.
Desperation, not diversion
Hunger is something Gazans have “never, ever experienced” in
their troubled history, the veteran UN humanitarian continued. “I
saw it with my eyes that people in Rafah have started to
decide to help themselves directly from the truck out of total
despair and eat what they have taken out of the truck on
the spot...This has nothing to do with aid diversion.”
Only a significant upscaling of humanitarian relief to the
enclave will help avoid a deepening of the already dire
humanitarian situation there – and their sense of betrayal and
abandonment by the international community - the UNRWA chief
insisted, as he called for the reopening of the Kerem Shalom
crossing from Israel to commercial vehicles and the lifting of
the “siege” of Gaza.
Epicentre of displacement
Rafah governorate near the Egyptian border has now become the
“epicentre of displacement” with more than one million people
looking for shelter there, Mr. Lazzarini explained. UNRWA
facilities are massively overcrowded, meaning that countless tens
of thousands have “absolutely nowhere to go”.
“The lucky ones are those who have a place inside our premises,”
he said, especially now that winter had begun. Those outside have
to live in the open, “in the mud and under the rain”.
Fear of being forgotten
Mr. Lazzarini said that people in Gaza believe that their lives
are “not equal to others’ lives” and that they have the feeling
that “human rights, international humanitarian law does not apply
to them”.
He highlighted the sense of isolation prevalent in the enclave,
stressing that people there “just long for safety and
stability”, wishing for a normal life which they are
“very far away from right now”.
“What continues to shock me is the ever-increasing level
of dehumanisation”, he said, deploring the fact that
some can “cheer wrongdoing in this war…What is happening in Gaza
should outrage everyone” and make us “rethink our values”, he
insisted.
“This is a make or break moment for all of us and our shared
humanity.”
Smear campaign
“I’m horrified at the smear campaign that targets Palestinians
and those who provide aid to them”, he said, urging the media
“help us push back at misinformation and inaccuracies” and
stressing that fact-checking is key.
“In suffering there is no competition. Ultimately in this war
there will be no winner, the longer it goes on the larger the
loss and the deeper the grief.
“There is absolutely no alternative to a proper, genuine
political process to end once and for all the longest-lasting
unresolved political conflict, 75 years without resolution. It is
time that this becomes a priority. Peace and stability - that’s
what the region deserves.”
