The head of the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency has issued a warning about the potential shutdown of its operations in the Gaza Strip due to a lack of fuel. He described this as a “deliberate attempt to strangle” the agency’s work in the region.
Israel has justified its refusal to allow fuel shipments to the besieged enclave by claiming that they could be used by Hamas for military purposes.
The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) provides support to over 800,000 displaced individuals in Gaza. Philippe Lazzarini, the commissioner-general of UNRWA, stated that the agency is at risk of suspending its operations entirely.
During a news conference in Geneva, Lazzarini said, “I believe there is a deliberate attempt to strangle our operation and paralyze UNRWA.” He also emphasized the agency’s repeated pleas regarding the impact of the fuel shortage.
“We have been warning about the consequences of the lack of fuel for weeks,” Lazzarini added. He mentioned that the agency had managed to utilize the remaining fuel reserves in the territory in recent weeks, but now they are running out. “We face the possibility of having to suspend our entire humanitarian operation,” he concluded.
Source from www.aljazeera.com