GAZA, (PIC)
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said on Friday that its staff who were detained by Israeli forces were subjected to “ill-treatment and torture.”
This came in a press conference held by the Agency’s Commissioner-General, Philippe Lazzarini, during a pledging conference at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
Today, UNRWA is staggering under the weight of relentless attack, Lazzarini said.
“In Gaza, it has paid a terrible price, 195 of our colleagues were killed and nearly 190 installations were damaged or destroyed, killing over 500 people seeking United Nations protection.”
It comes at a critical time as UNRWA undergoes unprecedented attacks and systematic attempts to dismantle it, he added.
“It is a tribute to our staff working across the region, including on the humanitarian front lines in Gaza.”
“We are committed to continuing to deliver assistance and basic services, including education to Palestinian boys and girls.”
Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary-general, also spoke at the UNWRA pledging conference at the UN headquarters in New York.
Guterres appealed to everyone to protect UNRWA and its employees, saying that “there is no alternative to it.”
