Gaza: Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) Philippe Lazzarini affirmed the agency's vital role in the reconstruction of Gaza, despite not being consulted on a proposed U.S. peace plan for the region. He said that UNRWA is currently present in Gaza with 12,000 staff members, adding that their personnel continue to provide daily primary healthcare services under extremely difficult conditions.
According to Qatar News Agency, Lazzarini emphasized that UNRWA possesses unmatched expertise and human resources in both primary healthcare and education, making it an indispensable player in any future recovery efforts. Although he has not reviewed the full details of the U.S. plan, which reportedly includes 21 provisions such as a ceasefire and rebuilding the devastated enclave, Lazzarini stressed that UNRWA remains a key actor for the international community.
Regarding the ceasefire, he noted that the hardest part today is achieving a ceasefire. That's what we need first. Afterwards, there are several plans on the table to stabilize it. He referenced the recent endorsement of the New York Declaration by member states, describing it as a roadmap not only for reconstruction but also for a future two-state solution.
He stressed that these are important commitments, adding that they're talking about reform, and that's exactly what's needed, and UNRWA could play a central role in implementing these reforms. Looking ahead, Lazzarini affirmed the agency's ability to help build future capacities and empower Palestinian institutions in education and healthcare. Despite Israel's boycott of UNRWA and its prohibition of any official contact with the agency, he insisted that UNRWA will inevitably be part of Gaza's post-war administration.
He underlined that they have a vast pool of teachers, adding that he truly believes that on the day a ceasefire is reached, and their shared priority must be to return hundreds of thousands of children to an educational system. Lazzarini also issued a scathing critique of U.S. and Israeli-backed efforts to deliver aid to Gaza through alternative channels, describing the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation as a deadly trap and a heinous act.
Since this foundation began replacing the broader UN response in Gaza, he concluded, hunger has spread and worsened, to the point that we were forced to declare a famine.