TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, whose term ends on March 31, called on Tuesday for an investigation into the killing of 390 humanitarian workers during the armed conflict in the Gaza Strip.
"I believe that we need to have a panel... a high-level panel of experts to look into the killing of our staff," he said at a press conference in Geneva.
The issue has been raised by the office of UN Secretary-General António Guterres and in dialogue with UN member states in New York, he added.
Lazzarini also attributed the lack of such an investigation to the ongoing conflict. He cited continued Israeli attacks in the region despite a ceasefire agreement.
The agency is on the verge of closure due to a lack of funding and a number of measures taken to weaken it, threatening the protection of Palestinian rights, he added.
UNRWA reports that more than 390 humanitarian workers and UN staff have been killed since the latest conflict in Gaza erupted in October 2023.
In January 2025, an Israeli law banning UNRWA's activities came into effect.
Israeli authorities cited alleged evidence implicating several agency employees in the October 7, 2023, attack by Palestinian militants, as well as the use of UNRWA infrastructure in the territory for militant activities, as the basis for the law.
SPUTNIK | OANA
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