By Janet Ekstract ISTANBUL- On Friday, the main relief agency working on behalf of the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip has been denied requests to deliver aid into the region. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugess (UNRWA) reported that half of all its aid mission requests to get aid into Gaza have been rejected since the beginning of 2024. UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini warned about the possibility of famine on the platform X: “The @UN has identified deep pockets of starvation and hunger in northern #Gaza where people are believed to be on the verge of famine.” He added: “At least 300,000 people living in the area, depend on our assistance for their survival. Preventing access prevents lifesaving humanitarian aid. With the necessary political will, this can be easily reversed.” Also raising the alarm is the World Food Program (WFP) affiliated with the UN, also warned on X: “2.2 million people in Gaza live in inhumane conditions, facing starvation, famine disease” and “the winter cold is adding to their suffering.”
Meanwhile, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres already appointed a group who will carry out an independent review of UNRWA amid allegations from Israel that some of its staff were involved in the Oct. 7 attack staged by Hamas. The review will be done in coordination with a current investigation by the U. office of Internal Oversight Services to verify the allegations. According to media reports, Israel had not presented any credible evidence to substantiate its allegations even though at least 12 UNRWA employees said to be involved in the Oct. 7 attack, were dismissed from their positions with the organization. Israel’s allegations have wreaked havoc on UNRWA with a number of major donors pulling the plug on funding. Despite that, the EU has maintained that it will continue to fund the UNRWA and that before rushing to judgement that the evidence must be presented to support the allegations.
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