The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees in the Middle East (UNRWA) has lost already 57 of its workers due to the military offensive launched by Israel on the Gaza Strip, according to the commissioner of this organization, Philippe Lazzarini, who has demanded a constant flow of humanitarian aid to the aforementioned territory due to the slow entry of the convoys, for now only “crumbs ” in the face of the “siege” imposed by Israel in response to Hamas attacks.

“As we speak, the people of Gaza are dying“Lazzarini cried at the start of an appearance in Jerusalem in which he warned that the Palestinians not only risk losing their lives under the projectiles launched by the Israel Defense Forces, but also due to the lack of basic supplies such as fuel, food and water or due to a health collapse in which there is hardly any medical care and “the streets have begun to fill with waste.”

Lazzarini accuses Israel of using the blockade – total since the October 7 attacks – to inflict “collective punishment” over a population of more than 2 million people. “Equating Gaza with Hamas is very dangerous and misleading,” she warned, recalling that in any conflict civilians enjoy special protection, as well as basic facilities or enclaves that may belong to the UN.

“Dehumanize people” seeks “make the unjustifiable justifiable”in his opinion, which is why he has called to put first the needs of a population that feels “abandoned” and that, although he initially saw the opening of the Rafá border crossing as “a ray of hope”, he has ended up verifying that barely It has been “a distraction.”

“Hell on earth”

Lazzarini has called for “a significant and uninterrupted flow of aid” and has responded to the doubts raised by Israeli authorities on the destination of those supplies, including those that may be managed by UNRWA. “We have strong monitoring mechanisms. We investigate all our vendors and partners to see if they are on the sanctions list,” he added.

“UNRWA does not and will not divert any aid so that it falls into the wrong hands,” he said, in a veiled allusion to militias such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Thus, he has asked that excuses not be made. “No one will be able to say ‘I didn’t know’ when there are images, videos and recordings of unspeakable suffering coming out of Gaza every hour. We cannot close our eyes to this human tragedy.

Millions of people ask us, especially in the region, and especially in Gaza, Why isn’t the world acting to end this hell on earth?“, he pointed out.