https://arab.news/rhr8q
- Head of UNRWA holds discussions with Ahmed Aboul Gheit on challenges agency faces
- Philippe Lazzarini provided an in-depth account of the dire conditions faced by Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip
CAIRO: Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner-general of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, during a meeting in Cairo identified significant challenges confronting the agency.
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit received Lazzarini at the General Secretariat headquarters on Thursday.
During the meeting, Lazzarini mentioned the challenges confronting the agency on the financial and logistical fronts, exacerbated by the persistent targeting of its headquarters and personnel by the Israeli military, along with increasing efforts to disrupt the agency’s operations.
Lazzarini provided an in-depth account of the dire conditions faced by Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip amid the bloody Israeli aggression, as well as in the West Bank, where Israeli attacks have escalated.
Gamal Roshdy, spokesperson for the secretary-general, said that Aboul Gheit reiterated the Arab League’s support for UNRWA’s vital mission and its efforts to assist Palestinian refugees throughout its five areas of operation.
He emphasized the need for donor countries to fulfill their financial commitments and contributions to the agency’s budget, particularly given the precarious situation currently faced by the Palestinian people.
In February 2024, the Arab League chief said the decision by some countries to suspend the funding they provide for UNRWA was wrong from both a humanitarian and security standpoint and a morally flawed position to take.
At that time, he warned that ending the agency’s role would endanger the entire region and said it would be a dangerous move that suits the long-held ambitions of the Israeli right wing to dismantle UNRWA and persuade the international community to step back from its responsibility to help address the issue of Palestinian refugees.