UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini

UNRWA chief says Gaza is world’s most dangerous place for journalists and aid workers

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UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini gives a speech in Ankara, Turkiye, on January 8, 2026. [Fatih Kurt – Anadolu Agency]

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said on Sunday that the Gaza Strip has become the world’s most dangerous place for journalists and humanitarian workers, warning that continued restrictions and attacks are undermining efforts to document events and deliver aid.

In a press statement, Lazzarini said more than 230 journalists have been killed in Gaza, stressing the need to ensure freedom of access for the media and to protect journalists in line with international humanitarian law.

He argued that preventing international journalists from entering the Gaza Strip contributes to the spread of misinformation and extremist narratives, and weakens the ability of the international community to understand the scale of the humanitarian crisis on the ground.

Lazzarini also said that ongoing attacks on journalists and humanitarian personnel represent a serious violation of international law, calling for urgent measures to provide them with protection and to allow media organisations to operate freely and without restrictions.

Separately, Gaza’s government media office said last Wednesday that the number of journalists killed since the start of the Israeli war has risen to 260, following the killing of three journalists linked to an Egyptian committee.

READ: 3 journalists among 11 Gazans killed in Israeli attacks amid ceasefire violations

Experiencing issues with this image not appearing. I suspect because it's so critical of Zionist Keir Starmer's support of and complicity in Israel's genocides.
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpA
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.

Continue ReadingUNRWA chief says Gaza is world’s most dangerous place for journalists and aid workers

Israeli official urges assassination and expulsion of UNRWA employees from Jerusalem

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Israeli army carries out a raid, and replaces the UN flag with the Israeli flag at the UNRWA center in east Jerusalem on December 08, 2025. [Mostafa Alkharouf – Anadolu Agency]

Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Aryeh King has sparked widespread condemnation after calling for the killing and expulsion of all staff of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), following the demolition of the agency’s headquarters in occupied East Jerusalem.

In a video published on his Facebook page from the demolition site, King described UNRWA as an “enemy” and declared that its removal from Jerusalem marked a victory. He said that the agency’s staff should be expelled from what he termed the “Land of Israel,” adding that there was “no choice” between them and Israel. King went further by explicitly calling for the destruction and elimination of all UNRWA personnel.

The remarks drew strong condemnation from UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, who warned that such statements represent a grave moral and legal breach. Lazzarini said the calls to assassinate UN staff signal a dangerous escalation, describing them as evidence of a “loss of moral compass” and the emergence of “a new era of barbarity.”

He added that Israeli officials had already competed to take credit for storming and vandalising UN facilities in occupied East Jerusalem, and that calls to exterminate an entire community of UNRWA staff marked a further, deeply alarming step. Lazzarini stressed that UN member states, bound by the UN Charter, cannot tolerate such incitement from officials of a member state, and called for the issue to be raised and addressed at the highest international levels.

The incident comes amid growing international concern over Israeli measures targeting UNRWA operations in Jerusalem and the wider occupied Palestinian territory, following recent Israeli legislation aimed at curbing the agency’s work.

READ: UNRWA says demolition of UN buildings in Sheikh Jarrah marks peak of Israeli attacks

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Experiencing issues with this image not appearing. I suspect because it's so critical of Zionist Keir Starmer's support of and complicity in Israel's genocides.
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpA
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Continue ReadingIsraeli official urges assassination and expulsion of UNRWA employees from Jerusalem

Disease risks in Gaza at record highs amid vaccine shortages: UNRWA

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Displaced Palestinian families living in the Beit Lahia area in the northern Gaza Strip try to carry on with their daily lives under harsh conditions amid the rubble left behind by Israeli attacks on January 19, 2026. [Abdalhkem Abu Riash – Anadolu Agency]

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) warned Monday that disease risks in the Gaza Strip have reached record levels, as children continue to miss essential vaccinations amid more than two years of war, harsh winter conditions and the collapse of the health system, Anadolu reports.

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said children in Gaza have repeatedly been deprived of routine immunizations needed to protect them from preventable diseases since the start of the conflict.

“Amid more than two years of war in Gaza, children have repeatedly missed out on the vaccines they need to stay safe,” Lazzarini said in a statement.

He said severe winter weather, including cold temperatures, heavy rainfall and flooding, is further compounding health risks in the enclave.

READ: Gaza government says ready to transfer powers to technocratic committee to run enclave

“These conditions come on top of already record-high disease risks caused by poor water and sanitation services, overcrowded shelters and the collapse of the medical system,” he added.

Lazzarini said UNRWA teams, in coordination with UNICEF, the World Health Organization and local partners, began the second round of a catch-up vaccination campaign on Sunday targeting children under the age of three.

“Vaccination in such conditions matters more than ever,” he said, stressing that UNRWA continues to work to save lives in Gaza.

The Israeli army has killed more than 71,000 people, most of them women and children, and injured over 171,000 others in a brutal offensive since October 2023 that left the Gaza Strip in ruins.

Despite a ceasefire that began on Oct. 10, the Israeli army has continued its attacks, killing 465 Palestinians and wounding 1,287 others, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

READ: Gaza hospitals struggle to maintain medical services amid restricted access

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Experiencing issues with this image not appearing. I suspect because it's so critical of Zionist Keir Starmer's support of and complicity in Israel's genocides.
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpA
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.

Continue ReadingDisease risks in Gaza at record highs amid vaccine shortages: UNRWA

235,000 Palestinians affected by ‘man-made’ consequences of winter in Gaza: UNRWA chief

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Displaced Palestinians, staying in makeshift tents, struggle to survive under harsh conditions as rain and severe storms affect the Nuseirat Refugee Camp of Deir al-Balah, Gaza on December 27, 2025. [Moiz Salhi – Anadolu Agency]

At least 235,000 people have been affected by a “man-made” crisis in Gaza after low-pressure weather systems hit the war-ravaged enclave, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said Monday, Anadolu reports.

“Months of war and displacement forced people in Gaza to live amid collapsing ruins in makeshift shelters or in flimsy tents,” UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said on the US social media company X.

“While Storm Byron that struck Gaza on December 10 was a natural hazard, its consequences are man-made,” Lazzarini stressed.

Heavy rains and strong winds triggered by low-pressure weather systems caused the collapse of 17 buildings and the full or partial damage of more than 42,000 tents or makeshift shelters and affected at least 235,000 people between Dec. 10 and 17, Lazzarini said, citing data by the Shelter Cluster in Gaza.

READ: Harsh winter in Gaza deepens suffering after more than 2 years of Israeli war: UN agency

A new wave of weather depression has been battering Gaza since the weekend, causing the death of two people and the uprooting of tens of thousands of tents, according to civil defense.

Weather conditions pose great danger to displaced Palestinians who are living in worn-out tents or severely damaged high-risk buildings, which have been under repeated Israeli strikes since October 2023.

The Israeli army has killed more than 71,200 people, mostly women and children, and injured over 171,200 others since October 2023 in Gaza in a brutal assault that also left the enclave in ruins.

Despite a ceasefire that took effect in Gaza on Oct. 10, Israel still closes the territory’s crossings and prevents the entry of mobile homes and reconstruction materials, worsening the plight of nearly 2.4 million people in the enclave.

READ: Gaza health official says miscarriages surge as births fall by 40%

Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Donald Fuhrump says that Amerikkka doesn't bother with crimes or charges anymore, not being 100% Amerikkkan and opposing his real estate intentions is enough.
Donald Fuhrump says that Amerikkka doesn’t bother with crimes or charges anymore, not being 100% Amerikkkan and opposing his real estate intentions is enough.

Continue Reading235,000 Palestinians affected by ‘man-made’ consequences of winter in Gaza: UNRWA chief