AA / London / Aysu Bicer
Philippe Lazzarini, director of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), described the situation in the Gaza Strip as a “dizzying descent into barbarism,” highlighting the desperate need for diplomacy and an end to the violence.
Lazzarini said on
He revealed that more than 220 UNRWA personnel had been killed during the conflict – the highest death toll in UN history – highlighting the dire conditions in which civilians and aid workers live. .
The impact on children has been particularly severe.
More than 650,000 children are missing out on a new school year, forced to cope with trauma, hunger and the loss of loved ones.
Schools and essential infrastructure have been destroyed, with more than two-thirds of UNRWA buildings affected by the violence, leaving many families unprotected.
“Instead of being in classrooms, children are digging through the rubble in despair and fear,” Lazzarini said, adding: “Every child in Gaza is traumatized, and many will carry lifelong scars. »
The UNRWA director also appealed for a ceasefire, stressing that there are “no winners in wars” and that the only way to end the continuing suffering is to find a solution. diplomatic and peaceful solution.
He called for an agreement that would ensure the safe release of prisoners, the delivery of essential humanitarian aid to Gaza and a ceasefire that would bring respite to residents of the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, Israel and the entire region.
“It is time to put down our weapons after decades of killing and immense suffering,” Lazzarini said, adding that the destruction and human cost were becoming more unbearable every day.
Israel has continued its relentless offensive on the Gaza Strip since October 7, despite UN Security Council resolutions demanding an immediate ceasefire.
Since then, 41,909 people, mostly women and children, have been killed and more than 97,100 others injured, according to local health authorities.
Israel’s continued attacks have displaced almost the entire population of the Gaza Strip, exacerbating shortages of food, clean water and medicine resulting from a long-standing blockade.
Israel is currently being prosecuted for the “crime of genocide” before the International Court of Justice due to its actions in the Gaza Strip.
*Translated from English by Mourad Belhaj
Only part of the dispatches, which the Anadolu Agency broadcasts to its subscribers via the Internal Broadcasting System (HAS), is broadcast on the AA website, in summary form. Please contact us to subscribe.
Related News :