Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner-general of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), warned that the situation in Gaza was “deteriorating very, very quickly,” more than a week after Israel again cut off supplies to the Gaza Strip.
“Whatever the intent is, it’s clearly a weaponisation of humanitarian aid into Gaza,” Lazzarini told reporters at the UN office in Geneva on Monday.
“It is critical that humanitarian aid is allowed into Gaza again to maintain the progress made during the first phase of the ceasefire and meet people’s basic needs,” he said, adding that there remains a risk of a return to the “deepening hunger” seen before the recent ceasefire.
Lazzarini heads UNRWA, which has been mandated by the UN General Assembly to provide aid to Palestinians in Palestine and neighbouring countries since December 1949.
The agency provides schooling and health services and can only be replaced by “capable Palestinian institutions” within a “Palestinian state,” Lazzarini has repeatedly said, even though his agency is banned by the Israeli government.
Lazzarini told reporters that a “fierce campaign of disinformation,” a law outlawing UNRWA in the Israeli parliament, and the “suspension of funding by key donors” had damaged the agency. He warned that UNRWA must not be allowed to “fall apart.”
Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen said on Sunday that he had signed an order to immediately cut off electricity supplies to the Gaza Strip. Cohen noted that all available tools will be used to do so, with the aim of freeing hostages.
Last week, Israel decided to halt the passage of aid convoys to Gaza due to Hamas’ refusal to accept US special envoy for the Middle East Steven Whitkoff’s plan for a ceasefire.
Yemen’s Houthis are poised to resume attacks on ships in the Red Sea
Yemen’s Houthis are on standby to resume attacks on Israeli-affiliated ships travelling in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea, the group’s leader Abdel Malik al-Houthi said.
“We are sticking to our position regarding the timing of aid delivery to the Gaza Strip, the [Yemeni] armed forces are ready to carry out operations,” he said.
Yemen’s Houthis have been attacking Israeli-affiliated ships and shelling Israel since October 2023 in solidarity with radical Palestinian group Hamas. Against this backdrop, Western countries have announced an international coalition and launched Operation Prosperity Guardian, which aims to ensure freedom of navigation and protect ships in the Red Sea. At the same time, the Houthis announced the suspension of their operations following the truce in the Gaza Strip.
