UNRWA Commissioner‑General Philippe Lazzarini said on Thursday that three months have passed since the “ceasefire” in the Gaza Strip, yet humanitarian assistance remains far below what is required to meet the basic needs of the population.
In a press statement on the latest developments in Gaza, Lazzarini said, “Three months have passed since the ceasefire, but aid is still not sufficient to meet people’s needs.”
He noted that while some food assistance has entered the Gaza Strip, non‑food items remain extremely limited.
“People are still living among the rubble, in unsafe shelters, and in tents that leak water and offer no real protection. They are deprived of almost everything,” he said.
Lazzarini stressed that the cold winter weather has added another layer of suffering for a population already exhausted by two years of devastating war marked by destruction, killing, and forced displacement. He reiterated that current levels of aid are nowhere near enough to cover even the most basic requirements.
Despite the challenges, Lazzarini emphasized that education remains a top priority for the agency.
“We have so far brought more than 60,000 children back to in‑person learning, and we are providing remote education to over 280,000 children. But this is still far from what is needed,” he said.
He also addressed UNRWA’s ongoing financial crisis, noting that the United States has frozen its funding to the agency since February 2024 following allegations against some staff members.
Lazzarini added that certain UNRWA activities in occupied East Jerusalem have been halted entirely due to Israeli laws and Israel’s unilateral claim that East Jerusalem is “part of its territory.”
At least fourteen Palestinians, among them five children, were killed on Thursday in a series of Israeli attacks that struck displacement tents, schools sheltering civilians, residential areas, and agricultural zones across the devastated Gaza Strip.
