ASIATODAY.ID, NEW YORK – Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) on Friday welcomed the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal, pledging to scale up aid delivery across the stricken enclave once it comes into effect.
Speaking to reporters at UN Headquarters in New York, Mr. Lazzarini emphasised that the agreement is only the first step in addressing the region’s overwhelming humanitarian challenges.
He joined UN Secretary-General António Guterres in urging all parties to fully implement the ceasefire and ensure unrestricted humanitarian access to meet urgent needs.
“UNRWA is ready to support the international response by scaling up aid delivery,” he said, January 17, 2025. .
Threat of Knesset laws
Mr. Lazzarini highlighted a looming threat: the impending implementation of Knesset legislation that would terminate UNRWA’s operations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
He warned of dire consequences, particularly in Gaza, where the agency is the backbone of the humanitarian response.
“The disintegration of the agency will intensify the breakdown of social order,” he said.
“Dismantling UNRWA now, outside a political process, will undermine the ceasefire agreement and sabotage Gaza’s recovery and political transition,” he explained.
Mr. Lazzarini stressed that UNRWA’s unique mandate and capacity to deliver essential services – such as education and primary healthcare – cannot be replicated without a functioning state.
Disinformation campaign
The Commissioner-General also highlighted the aggressive disinformation campaign targeting the agency.
“Billboards and ads accusing UNRWA of terrorism recently appeared in several cities, including New York,” he said, revealing that they had been paid for by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel.
He explained that such propaganda endangers UNRWA staff, fuels harassment and erodes trust in the international community’s ability to act.
Introducing a political framework
Looking to the future, Mr. Lazzarini emphasised the importance of transitioning UNRWA’s services within a defined political framework, as envisioned by the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution.
“A clear choice lies before us: We can allow UNRWA to implode because of the Knesset legislation and the suspension of funding by key donors, or we can allow the agency to progressively conclude its mandate within a political framework,” he said.
This transition, he noted, must involve cooperation with empowered Palestinian institutions to avoid chaos and preserve vital services.
Collaboration with Palestinian Authority
UNRWA is already collaborating with the Palestinian Authority which runs services in the occupied West Bank, to address urgent healthcare and educational needs in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Mr. Lazzarini highlighted that the agency remains the largest provider of primary healthcare in Gaza, conducting approximately 17,000 medical consultations daily. It is also the second-largest healthcare provider in the West Bank, after the authorities.
On education, he stressed the agency’s critical role in safeguarding the future of Palestinian children, many of whom are now living in the rubble of Gaza.
“If we fail to resume education in Gaza, and to preserve it in the West Bank, we will sacrifice an entire generation of Palestinian children,” he warned.
Urgent appeal
Mr. Lazzarini drew attention to the agency’s precarious financial position, urging donor countries to increase contributions, disburse allocated funds without delay and review any funding currently on hold.
Without immediate financial support, he cautioned, UNRWA’s ability to continue its life-saving work will be at grave risk.
The Commissioner-General also told the press that he had urged the Security Council to take decisive action to avert the end of UNRWA’s operations.
Gaza ceasefire could boost aid deliveries to 600 trucks per day
Amid reports that Israel’s security cabinet has given the green light to a ceasefire deal with Hamas, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) expressed cautious optimism on Friday over the potentially major boost to aid relief in the devastated enclave.
“The target is to get between 500 and 600 trucks in per day over the coming weeks,” said Dr Rik Peeperkorn, WHO representative in the occupied Palestinian territories (OPT).
This would represent “a huge increase” from the 40 to 50 lorries reaching Gaza in recent months and be similar to the level of aid reaching Gaza before war erupted on 7 October 2023, drastically reducing relief deliveries.
Massive challenge
Speaking from Jerusalem, the WHO medic described the ceasefire announcement as “a sign of hope” but warned that the challenge is massive and daunting, because of chronic and severe shortages of food, fuel and medical supplies.
Plans are in place for deliveries to begin on Sunday, the veteran humanitarian said, adding: “We have ordered temporary prefabricated clinics and hospitals which we will integrate into the existing facilities…integrating existing health facilities as part of that, to expand some needed bed capacity, address urgent health needs and health service delivery.”
Humanitarians have repeatedly warned that the crisis in Gaza for civilians has reached catastrophic levels.
More than 46,000 people have been killed, according to the authorities and more 110,000 have been injured – often with life-changing injuries – since the conflict began in October 2023.
Disease is spreading and the risk of famine remains high – needs that it is critical to address, Dr Peeperkorn said, especially when more than 12,000 patients – a third of them children – still await evacuation for specialized care.
Slow progress on evacuations
But the pace of evacuations has been painfully slow. Of 1,200 requests submitted between November and December 2024, only 29 were approved, a rate of just 2.4 per cent, according to WHO.
The WHO and other agencies have stressed the immediate need to provide food, water and medical supplies, but also fuel and spare parts for hospital generators.
Gaza’s healthcare system has been shattered, with only half of its 36 hospitals currently operational. Critical health infrastructure continues to be targeted, according to the UN health agency, which pointed to 664 healthcare attacks since October that have caused deaths among civilians and medical workers, also damaging vital health facilities.
Despite the dire conditions, WHO aims to implement an ambitious 60-day emergency health response plan, once a ceasefire kicks in.
This includes scaling up existing health efforts, setting up temporary medical clinics and restoring essential healthcare services. Efforts will also focus on combating malnutrition, bolstering disease surveillance and providing medical supplies to areas that have been difficult to access until now.
$10 billion needed for health
According to WHO, more than $10 billion is required to restore Gaza’s shattered healthcare system, and substantial international support will be essential to avoid further loss of life and prevent a complete breakdown of the region’s health infrastructure.
In addition to addressing the immediate health needs, there is also a pressing requirement for broader humanitarian aid. Food, clean water and shelter are fundamental priorities, alongside other crucial medicines and medical equipment which remain in desperately short supply.
For the moment, international agencies continue to work under difficult and dangerous conditions, hoping that the ceasefire will offer a lifeline to those trapped in the besieged enclave. (UN News)
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