AIRLINK 182.98 Decreased By ▼ -2.21 (-1.19%)
BOP 9.65 Decreased By ▼ -0.28 (-2.82%)
CNERGY 7.26 Decreased By ▼ -0.03 (-0.41%)
FCCL 36.70 Increased By ▲ 0.06 (0.16%)
FFL 14.33 Decreased By ▼ -0.20 (-1.38%)
FLYNG 24.85 Decreased By ▼ -0.07 (-0.28%)
HUBC 126.05 Decreased By ▼ -0.78 (-0.61%)
HUMNL 12.91 Decreased By ▼ -0.16 (-1.22%)
KEL 4.32 No Change ▼ 0.00 (0%)
KOSM 6.05 Decreased By ▼ -0.01 (-0.17%)
MLCF 42.70 Decreased By ▼ -0.19 (-0.44%)
OGDC 196.69 Increased By ▲ 1.25 (0.64%)
PACE 6.25 Decreased By ▼ -0.04 (-0.64%)
PAEL 38.15 Increased By ▲ 0.19 (0.5%)
PIAHCLA 16.90 No Change ▼ 0.00 (0%)
PIBTL 7.73 Decreased By ▼ -0.06 (-0.77%)
POWER 9.26 Decreased By ▼ -0.13 (-1.38%)
PPL 168.03 Increased By ▲ 0.14 (0.08%)
PRL 33.32 Decreased By ▼ -0.70 (-2.06%)
PTC 22.30 Decreased By ▼ -0.21 (-0.93%)
SEARL 102.24 Decreased By ▼ -1.73 (-1.66%)
SILK 1.09 Decreased By ▼ -0.10 (-8.4%)
SSGC 35.63 Decreased By ▼ -0.32 (-0.89%)
SYM 17.97 Decreased By ▼ -0.13 (-0.72%)
TELE 7.99 Decreased By ▼ -0.03 (-0.37%)
TPLP 11.62 Decreased By ▼ -0.01 (-0.09%)
TRG 66.41 Increased By ▲ 0.25 (0.38%)
WAVESAPP 12.00 Decreased By ▼ -0.13 (-1.07%)
WTL 1.54 Increased By ▲ 0.02 (1.32%)
YOUW 3.78 Decreased By ▼ -0.03 (-0.79%)
BR100 11,529 Decreased By -40 (-0.35%)
BR30 33,934 Decreased By -99.6 (-0.29%)
KSE100 110,132 Decreased By -169.3 (-0.15%)
KSE30 34,336 Decreased By -50.6 (-0.15%)

GENEVA: Israel is waging a concerted campaign aimed at destroying UNRWA, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said in an interview published Saturday.

Philippe Lazzarini said calls for his resignation were part of the Israeli government’s push.

“Right now we are dealing with an expanded, concerted campaign by Israel aimed at destroying UNRWA,” he told the Swiss newspaper group Tamedia.

Three killed, four wounded in shooting attack in southern Israel, medics and police say

“It is a long-term political goal because it is believed that if the aid agency is abolished, the status of the Palestinian refugees will be resolved once and for all – and with it, the right of return. There is a much larger political goal behind this.

“Just look at the number of actions Israel is taking against UNRWA,” the main aid body in the Gaza Strip, he said.

He cited measures in the Israeli parliament, moves to remove the agency’s VAT exemption and orders for contractors at Israel’s port of Ashdod to “stop handling certain food deliveries for UNRWA”.

“And all these demands come from the government.”

Furthermore, Lazzarini says more than 150 UNRWA installations have been hit since the Gaza war began.

Israel has called for Lazzarini to step down following claims that a Hamas tunnel had been discovered under its evacuated Gaza City headquarters.

Lazzarini said the tunnel was 20 metres below ground and UNRWA as a humanitarian organisation did not have the capabilities to be examining what was underground in Gaza.

He also said Israel was alone in calling for him to quit and there was “no reason” to comply with a single UN member state’s demand for him to go, “especially since my resignation would not improve the situation at UNRWA”.

“The criticisms are not concerned with me personally, but with the organisation as a whole. The calls for resignation are part of the campaign to destroy UNRWA”, he said.

The Gaza war began with Hamas’ October 7 attack which resulted in the deaths of about 1,160 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Israel’s assault on Gaza has since killed at least 28,775 people, mostly women and children, according to the territory’s health ministry.

Comments

Comments are closed.