UNRWA head calls for end to Israeli attacks in occupied West Bank

The Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) called on Wednesday for an end to the extensive Israeli aggression in the northern West Bank that has been ongoing for 5 weeks. Philippe Lazzarini warned of the catastrophic conditions caused by the Israeli aggression, which has turned the lives of Palestinian residents upside down.

“The West Bank is becoming a battlefield: ordinary Palestinians are the first and most to suffer,” Lazzarini wrote on social media. “More than 50 people, including children, have been reported killed since the Israeli Forces’ operation started 5 weeks ago. Destruction of public infrastructure, bulldozing roads and access restrictions are common place.”

He pointed out that around 40,000 Palestinians have been forced to flee their homes, especially in refugee camps in the north. “Fear, uncertainty and grief once again prevail. Affected camps lie in ruins. More than 5,000 children who normally go to UNRWA schools have been deprived of education, some for over 10 weeks now. Patients cannot access healthcare, families are cut off from water, electricity & other basic services. This must end.”

Lazzarini also noted that UNRWA teams are “tracking displaced people and continue to provide them with much-needed food, healthcare and basics to keep them warm.”

Since 21 January, the Israeli army has been engaged in a large-scale offensive against Palestinian cities and refugee camps in the northern West Bank, especially in the governorates of Jenin, Tulkarm and Tubas. Occupation soldiers have killed at least 63 people, displaced tens of thousands and caused widespread destruction.

READ: France urges Israel to show ‘greatest restraint’ in use of force in West Bank