I am relieved that the ceasefire continues to hold in Gaza and that more hostages and detainees were released today.
I call once again for the release of all hostages held in Gaza and for all parties to fulfill their obligations.
Our teams are staying and delivering amid exceptional challenges in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Our work in Gaza has contributed to the success of the ceasefire:
We have reached 1.5 million people with food aid.
Expanded healthcare, including the re-opening of health centers and increasing the number of health points across the Gaza Strip. Every day, UNRWA teams give 18,000 health consultations.
In the occupied West Bank, our staff remain on ground. We are providing education for 50,000 boys and girls in UNRWA schools. Our health centres are open and running.
Concerted efforts are ongoing to dismantle the agency including through the spread of disinformation. UNRWA is a casualty of this war.
Checking facts and reporting through firsthand official sources is the basic premise of independent reporting.
This is critical, especially given the prolonged ban on independent, international media in Gaza.
I wish that you (the international media) can do more to get into Gaza to cover untold stories and verify information you receive.
Billboards and ads accusing UNRWA of terrorism have appeared in major cities around the world.
They were paid for by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Google ad campaigns re-direct those seeking information about the Agency to websites replete with disinformation.
This puts the lives of the UNRWA personnel at risk, especially in the West Bank and in Gaza, where 273 UNRWA staff have been killed.
The objective of these attacks on the Agency is to strip the Palestinians of their refugee status.
The rights of Palestine Refugees to protection and assistance are not derived from UNRWA's mandate.
They exist independently of the Agency.
If UNRWA ceases to provide services and assistance to Palestine Refugees, their rights will remain.
There will be much greater emphasis on durable solutions like return or resettlement which UNRWA is NOT mandated to deliver.
Bottom line: Dismantling UNRWA will only deepen the suffering of Palestine Refugees, it will not cancel their refugee status.
Let me turn to the situation on the ground (briefly):
Gaza
Since the ceasefire began (nearly one month ago), significant progress has been made in the delivery of humanitarian aid; on average 500-600 trucks a day.
This is 10 times more than before.
It shows that where there is a will, there is a way.
It is still not enough to meet the immense needs on the ground.
The good news is that the UN and the wider humanitarian community have reduced the risk of famine and alleviated hunger.
In the West Bank, violence is surging.
It is under reported, with significant forced displacement and civilian suffering.
At least 40,000 people were forced to flee refugee camps in the northern areas.
We are recording an increase in the use of air strikes, armored bulldozers, controlled detonations, and advanced weaponry by the Israeli Forces.
Attacks/misuse of UNRWA facilities continues - just last week, Israeli Forces used the UNRWA Arroub Camp Health Centre (near Bethlehem) as a temporary detention site during a search and arrest operation.
This incident follows a pattern of forcible entries into UNRWA installations in the West Bank since October 2023 (over 190), by both Israeli Security Forces and Palestinian armed groups.
Palestinian armed groups are also increasingly active in the northern West Bank, deploying improvised explosive devices inside refugee camps, including near UNRWA facilities and civilian infrastructure.
The Knesset bills which came into effect at the end of last January, cover two areas; one that bans UNRWA from working in Israeli territory and according to the Israeli authorities that also includes East Jerusalem and another that enforces a no-contact policy between UNRWA and Israeli authorities. The latter impacts our operations in the West Bank and Gaza, however it does not prevent activities.
The Agency's financial situation is more precarious than over.
We operate from hand-to-mouth.
There is very little visibility/clarity for the future.
To conclude, we are today at a key turning point.
A clear choice lies before us:
We can allow UNRWA to implode because of the Knesset legislation and the suspension of funding by key donors. This would however create a vacuum and potentially sow the seeds for more despair and extremism in the future.
Or we can allow the Agency to progressively conclude its mandate within a political framework and play a key role in the transitional process including through handing over the Agency's public-like services to empowered Palestinian institutions.
Thank you
UNRWA is the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. The United Nations General Assembly established UNRWA in 1949 with a mandate to provide humanitarian assistance and protection to registered Palestine refugees in the Agency's area of operations pending a just and lasting solution to their plight.
UNRWA operates in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, The Gaza Strip, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
Tens of thousands of Palestine refugees who lost their homes and livelihoods due to the 1948 conflict continue to be displaced and in need of support, nearly 75 years on.
UNRWA helps Palestine Refugees achieve their full potential in human development through quality services it provides in education, health care, relief and social services, protection, camp infrastructure and improvement, microfinance, and emergency assistance. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions.
