Lazzarini: Closing Gaza crossings contradicts any international humanitarian standard

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said that abruptly dismantling the agency “will only deepen the suffering of Palestine refugees, and will not cancel their refugee status,” stressing that their rights will remain independent of the agency’s existence.

Israel’s decision to ban humanitarian aid and commercial supplies from entering the Gaza Strip threatens the lives of Palestinian civilians “who have only briefly rested from the brutal war,” Lazzarini said, stressing that the situation is now similar to the situation that prevailed in October 2023.
He said the ceasefire proved that “whenever there is political will, humanitarian aid can be unhindered and uninterrupted,” noting that before the Israeli decision, humanitarian aid had increased tenfold.

“If you close all crossings, you are creating a situation where basic aid and food are used as a tool to achieve a political or military objective, which is contrary to any international humanitarian standard,” the Commissioner-General added.