The Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) Philippe Lazzarini called on Friday for a halt to the massacre committed by Israel in Gaza while a UN official called for an investigation into the occupation’s use of highly destructive explosive weapons in the besieged territory.
Lazzarini said in a statement distributed by UNRWA “The children who were killed in Gaza were not terrorists or inhuman animals that should be eradicated.” He added “This is our last chance to save what remains of our humanity.”
The UNRWA Commissioner-General condemned the complete destruction of residential neighborhoods in Gaza saying that it would open a very dark chapter in the history of the region. He also said that the situation in Gaza is devastating and that ending this tragedy requires an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.
In a tweet on his account on the “X” platform (formerly Twitter) Lazzarini announced an increase in the number of martyrs among the UNRWA employees as a result of Israeli shelling of the Gaza Strip to more than 100 in a month. The UNRWA Commissioner-General urged US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza saying that it could prevent a catastrophe.
Hell on Earth
In simultaneous statements the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that if there is hell on earth it is in the northern Gaza Strip. It added that relief trucks cannot reach people in that area which is witnessing shelling and clashes.
The UN office also stated that the “periods of calm” that are being discussed need coordination with the United Nations noting that this has not happened.
Investigation into weapons
Meanwhile the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk today called for an investigation into Israel’s use of highly impactful explosive weapons.
Turk said that these weapons cause indiscriminate destruction in the besieged Gaza Strip adding that Israel must stop using them. The UN official explained that the international organization has serious concerns that Israeli attacks with these weapons violate international humanitarian law.
Turk called on Israel to take immediate measures to protect Palestinians in the occupied West Bank noting that at least 176 Palestinians including 43 children and one woman have been killed since the beginning of last month and settlers have killed at least 8 Palestinians during the same period.
