Top UN officials say UNRWA is irreplaceable in the face of the Knesset ban
Echo of the UN Secretary General António Guterreswarned late Monday that developments were likely “devastating consequences” EQUAL UNRWA As the main provider of relief goods inside the war-torn region, United Nations human rights chief Volker Türk called the Knesset’s move “deep trouble for many reasons”.
In Geneva, a spokesperson for the United Nations human rights office (OHCHR) Jeremy Laurence said that the High Commissioner had pointed out the “potential serious impact” on the rights of all those dependent on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency.
“Without UNRWA, the provision of food, health care, education, among other things, to the majority of Gazans, would stagnate,” he said. “The people have paid the heaviest price for this conflict over the past year. Really, this decision will only make their problems worse, much worse.”
An OHCHR spokesperson reiterated previous concerns “about Israel’s compliance with international law” regarding the intense bombing of Gaza, where tens of thousands of civilians were killed, according to local authorities. Mr. Laurence also emphasized that Israel remains bound by its obligations “under a series of human rights treaties,” including the Convention on Human Rights. International Covenant on Economic and Social Rights.
‘Unacceptable’ move, Tedros said
Following a reported 92-10 vote Monday by Knesset members in favor of two bills targeting UNRWA, the head of the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, called the development “unacceptable”and “threatens the lives and health” of all those who depend on UNRWA.
WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic noted that about a quarter of UNRWA staff in Gaza are health workers performing routine but life-saving work. “Basically, they provided more than six million medical consultations last year in health centers run by the United Nations, and they provided these consultations to more than half of the population,” he said. Gaza number”.
These medical teams are responsible for routine childhood vaccinations including polio, disease screening and malnutrition, a WHO spokesperson explained. “So really, if you consider that 3,000 of their employees are healthcare workers, it’s really not comparable; it may not be matched by any agency, including the WHO,” he said.
Convoy ‘refused or obstructed’
After more than a year of intense Israeli bombing that unleashed the deadly rampage of Hamas in Israel on October 7, 2023, devastated communities in Gaza continue to suffer from a lack of outside assistance. . “Of the 25 requests for missions this month, only 7 were implemented, the others were rejected or hindered,” Mr. Jasarevic said.
The WHO official noted that as long as there is no agreement on a humanitarian pause, “it is difficult to imagine there will be this second round of polio vaccinations” in northern Gaza.
From the United Nations aid coordination office, OCHASpokesperson Jens Laerke emphasized the need to expand diplomatic avenues for the benefit of the millions of Palestinians assisted by UNRWA across the Occupied Palestinian Territories. “We are trying not to implement this [Knesset vote]He said, adding that if the bills become law, they would “additional acts of collective punishment” by Israel against the people of Gaza.
Catherine Russell, head of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), defended UNRWA’s vital role in providing aid to Palestinian children and families, and warned that the “lives and futures” of young people were at stake.
UNICEF spokesman James Elder told journalists in Geneva that Without UNRWA, the humanitarian system in Gaza would likely collapse and the United Nations Children’s Fund “It really won’t be possible to distribute life-saving supplies here. I’m talking about vaccines. I’m talking about winter clothes. I am talking about hygiene kits, medical kits, water and sanitation” and life-saving support for malnourished youth facing hunger. “So a decision like this suddenly means that a new way has been found to kill children,” he said of the Knesset vote.
