NEW YORK, July 21 (Bernama-WAFA) — UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini confirmed on Sunday that inaction in pressuring Israel to allow aid into Gaza is “complicity” in starving the Palestinians in the Strip, stating, “Inaction is complicity and makes us lose our humanity.”
According to Palestine News and Info Agency (WAFA), in a post on X, Lazzarini quoted a message often received from UNRWA staff in Gaza that says, “I’ve been searching for something to feed my children but there is nothing.” He questioned, “How can one respond to such messages of despair? Shames me and doubles the sense of helplessness.”
He stressed that all this is man-made, with total impunity enjoyed by Israel.
Lazzarini added that food supplies are available just a few kilometres away, noting, “UNRWA alone has enough stock available outside of Gaza for the entire population for the next 3 months. We have not been allowed to bring any aid in since 2 March.”
He emphasised the urgent need for political will, stating, “Only political will and leadership can reverse full-fledged starvation.”
Meanwhile, the number of deaths due to starvation and malnutrition in the Gaza Strip has risen to 18 cases within 24 hours.
The total deaths from starvation have so far reached 86 people, including 76 children, most of them in the northern part of the Strip, where around 17,000 children are suffering from acute malnutrition.
— BERNAMA-WAFA