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Search resuls for: "UNRWA's"


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An independent review of the UN's main relief agency in Gaza has found that “neutrality-related issues persist” among staff, and recommended strengthening UNRWA's neutrality. Israel has longstanding issues with UNRWA, accusing it of aiding Hamas and calling for it to be entirely dismantled. What the UN said: UN chief Antonio Guterres accepted the recommendations, while UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini welcomed the findings. What Israel said: The review was not "genuine" or "thorough," Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein claimed. "This is what an effort to avoid the problem and not address it head on looks like," he said.
Persons: Israel, Catherine Colonna, Antonio Guterres, Philippe Lazzarini, Oren Marmorstein Organizations: French, UN, Foreign Ministry Locations: Gaza, Israel
UN chief urges massive Gaza aid flow, sees 'dramatic starvation'
  + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com   time to read: +3 min
Secretary-General answered questions on upcoming COP28 meeting in Dubai and continued war between Israel and Hamas. Israel should lift all obstacles to aid into Gaze and allow convoys of the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA into northern Gaza where starvation is looming, Guterres said. Palestinians wait to receive food during the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, as the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip March 13, 2024. Mohammed Abed | Afp | Getty ImagesIsrael stopped all imports of food, medicine, power and fuel into Gaza at the start of the war. Although it later let in aid deliveries, aid organisations say security checks and the difficulty of moving through a war zone have greatly hindered their operations.
Persons: Antonio Guterres, Lev Radin, Lightrocket, Israel, Guterres, Mohammed Salem, Mohammed Abed, Getty Images Israel, Ayman Safadi Organizations: UN, Getty, UNRWA, Hamas, Reuters, Palestinian, Getty Images, Jordan's, . Security, Afp Locations: Chile, Antarctica, Dubai, Israel, Gaza, Jordan, Rafah, Gaza's, Palestinian, Jordan's, Ramadan
Video footage from the AFP news agency showed the ship visible off the shore of the Gaza Strip on Friday morning London time. Israel last year agreed to work with Cyprus in setting up an aid corridor across the sea between the European Union member and the Gaza Strip. Trucks carrying humanitarian aid and food supplies at the Kerem Shalom Crossing on the Israel-Gaza border. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesA spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces said it continues to expand its efforts to enable the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. Earlier this month, Refugees International released a report that alleges that Israel is obstructing the entry of life-saving supplies into the Gaza Strip.
Persons: , Juliette Touma, Ahmad Hasaballah, Nebal Farsakh, Farsakh, Israel, Touma, Menahem Kahana, Philippe Lazzarini, Jesse Marks, Jordan, José Andrés, Jose Andres, Sen, Chris Coons, Peter Welch, Andres, Chip Somodevilla Organizations: Afp, Getty, AFP, European Union, Israeli Foreign Ministry, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, CNBC, Palestinian Health Ministry, Palestine Red Crescent Society, West Bank, Bloomberg, Israel Defense Forces, United Arab Emirates, ., IDF, Palestinian, Refugees International, UN, Gaza, Arms, U.S, Capitol Locations: Cypriot, Larnaca, Gaza, Spanish, Cyprus, Israel, Rafah, Egypt, Palestine, Israeli, Kerem, U.S, United States, Israel's, Morocco, Israel's Ben Gurion, WASHINGTON, DC, Washington ,
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it discovered a Hamas complex under a UN agency HQ in Gaza. AdvertisementThe Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it discovered a Hamas complex under a UN aid agency's headquarters in Gaza. An Israeli soldier gestured in what the military described as a Hamas command tunnel running partly under UNRWA headquarters. The WSJ report published a photo of a room containing eight black server racks "inside what Israeli military officials say is a Hamas intelligence hub." The Israeli military has nicknamed the subterranean world "the Gaza metro."
Persons: , gestured, António Guterres, Israel's Organizations: Israel Defense Forces, UN, IDF, Street Journal, Service, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, UNRWA, Street, Associated Press, Hamas, New, Reuters, Cross, Rafah, Business Locations: Gaza, East, Gaza City, Israeli, Palestinian, Israel
By Andrea ShalalWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Biden administration plans to wait for an internal investigation of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees to conclude before resuming aid to the organization, U.S. officials told Arab-American community leaders in Michigan. UNRWA officials say they expect the U.N. oversight office's preliminary investigation report to take several weeks. "They did tell us in that meeting that they ... expect that the president will be shifting his language," Alawieh said. ... We're looking for action from President Biden that saves lives." Israel began its military offensive after militants from Hamas-ruled Gaza killed 1,200 people and took 253 hostages on Oct. 7.
Persons: Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON, Biden, Samantha Power, Joe Biden's, Ali Dagher, Abbas Alawieh, Alawieh, Israel, Andrea Shalal, Heather Timmons, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: United Nations, Michigan . U.S . Agency for International, Reuters, Israel Locations: American, Michigan ., Michigan, Israel, Gaza, U.S, Lebanese, Dearborn, Arab, Detroit
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel has imposed financial restrictions on the main U.N. agency providing aid in the Gaza Strip, a measure which prevented a shipment of food for 1.1 million Palestinians from reaching the war-battered enclave, the agency's director said Friday. The U.N. food agency defines a famine as when 30% of children are malnourished, one-fifth of households face acute food shortages and two of every 10,000 people are dying from hunger or malnutrition. UNRWA, which serves about 6 million Palestinians whose families were displaced during the war surrounding Israel's creation in 1948, denies the charges. UNWRA is the main provider of aid to Palestinians in Gaza, but Israeli bombardment and combat between Israel and Hamas has made much of the territory too dangerous for aid convoys to cross. Israel alleged last month that 12 employees of the aid agency participated in the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks in southern Israel.
Persons: — Israel, Philippe Lazzarini, Israel, Juliette Touma, Touma, Bezalel Smotrich, , Benjamin Netanyahu, didn't, Lazzarini, Organizations: JERUSALEM, UNRWA, Food, Israel, Bank Leumi, Hamas, Food Program Locations: Gaza, Israel, U.S, Turkey, Ashdod, Port Said, Egypt, Rafah
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Sunday his government was probing claims that some staff of the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) were involved in the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, after Australia paused funding to the aid agency last month. Australia is one of several countries to have halted funding for UNRWA, a critical source of support in Gaza, after Israeli claims of U.N. employees' complicity with Hamas. "We're examining it, along with other like-minded countries like Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. War in Israel and Gaza View All 194 ImagesLate last month, Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Finland joined the United States, Australia and Canada in pausing funding to the aid agency. The agency has opened an investigation into several employees and has severed ties with those people, it has said.
Persons: Anthony Albanese, Albanese, U.N, Antonio Guterres, Sam McKeith Organizations: SYDNEY, Australia's, Australia, UNRWA, Australian Broadcasting Corp, European Union Locations: Palestinian, Israel, Australia, Gaza, Canada, United Kingdom, United States, Britain, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, Finland, Sydney
DOHA (Reuters) - The United Nations Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) said on Thursday that it will most likely be forced to shut down its operations in the Middle East, including in Gaza, by the end of the month if funding does not resume. A string of countries including the United States, Germany and Britain have paused their funding to the aid agency in the wake of allegations that some UNRWA staff were involved in Hamas' Oct. 7 attacks in southern Israel. "The agency remains the largest aid organization in one of the most severe and complex humanitarian crises in the world," UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement. "If the funding remains suspended, we will most likely be forced to shut down our operations by end of February not only in Gaza but also across the region." Israeli authorities have long called for the agency to be dismantled, arguing that its mission is obsolete and fosters anti-Israeli sentiment, something UNRWA has vigorously denied.
Persons: Philippe Lazzarini, defunding, Benjamin Netanyahu, Nidal Al, Jana Choukeir, Clauda Tanios, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Kevin Liffey Organizations: DOHA, Reuters, United Nations Palestinian, World Health Organization, WHO, UNRWA, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, General, West Bank Locations: Gaza, United States, Germany, Britain, Israel
UN Chief Says UNRWA Is 'Backbone' of Gaza Aid Response
  + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com   time to read: +2 min
By Michelle NicholsUNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday described the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) as "the backbone of all humanitarian response in Gaza" and appealed to all countries to "guarantee the continuity of UNRWA's lifesaving work." "I was personally horrified by these accusations," Guterres told the U.N. Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. The accusations became public on Friday when UNRWA announced it had fired some staff after Israel provided the agency with information. UNRWA employs 13,000 people in Gaza, running schools, its primary healthcare clinics and other social services, and distributing humanitarian aid. "The humanitarian system in Gaza is collapsing," Guterres said.
Persons: Michelle Nichols UNITED, Antonio Guterres, Israel, Guterres, Michelle Nichols, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS, Reuters, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, Hamas, Palestinian, Islamic Jihad, UNRWA, Gaza's Locations: Palestinian, Gaza, United States, Israeli
In Gaza, it has been the main supplier of food, water and shelter to civilians during the Israel-Hamas war. The Israeli government has accused Hamas and other militant groups of siphoning off aid and using U.N. facilities for military purposes. UNRWA denies those allegations and says it took swift action against the employees accused of taking part in the attack. U.N. chief Guterres said nine of the accused UNRWA employees were immediately terminated, one was confirmed dead and the other two still need to be identified. The death toll includes more than 150 UNWRA employees, the most aid workers the U.N. has lost in a single conflict.
Persons: Antonio Guterres, Guterres, Philippe Lazzarini, Benjamin Netanyahu, ” Lazzarini Organizations: United, Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees, UNRWA, West, Israel, West Bank, Twitter, Health Ministry Locations: United Nations, Gaza, Israel, United States, East, West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, U.N, Israel's, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, Finland, Norway, Ireland, israel
Residents said Israeli planes and tanks also pounded areas in Gaza City to the north, where Israel has slowly been pulling out troops. The fighting could be heard in the nearby towns of Beit Lahiya and Jabalia, near to Gaza City. Israel's military said it was engaged in "intensive battles" in Khan Younis, where it said troops "eliminated terrorists and located large quantities of weapons". One strike on a house in a suburb of Gaza City killed eight people, health officials said. More families were displaced from Khan Younis on Sunday.
Persons: Nidal, Abu Mustafa, Khan Younis, Ashraf Al, Qidra, Israel, Amal, Deir, Balah, Abu Raouf, Abu Tair, Nidal al, Ibraheem Abu, Ari Rabinovitch, Frances Kerry Organizations: Gaza Health Ministry, Hamas, Gaza Health, Gaza City, Palestinian Red Crescent Society, Al, Amal Locations: Abu Mustafa DOHA, GAZA, Gaza, Gaza City, Israel, Beit Lahiya, Jihad, Hamas, Khan, Nasser, Rafah, Egypt, Mughrabi, Doha, Ibraheem Abu Mustafa, Jerusalem
REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu MustafaUnited Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres vowed on Sunday to hold to account "any U.N. employee involved in acts of terror" after allegations that some refugee agency staffers were involved in the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel. But Guterres implored governments to continue supporting the U.N. refugee agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) after nine countries paused funding. "Any U.N. employee involved in acts of terror will be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution," the U.N. chief said in a statement. In his first direct comments on the issue, the U.N. chief gave details about the UNRWA staffers implicated in the "abhorrent alleged acts." "The lives of people in Gaza depend on this support and so does regional stability," Lazzarini said.
Persons: Abu, Antonio Guterres, Guterres, Israel, Philippe Lazzarini, Lazzarini Organizations: United Nations, REUTERS, Abu Mustafa United Nations, Saturday Locations: Gaza, Israel, Britain, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, Finland, United States, Australia, Canada
An agreement has been reached to extend the Israel-Hamas truce for another two days, the spokesman for Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said Monday. In turn, Israel released 39 Palestinian prisoners. Political Cartoons View All 1265 ImagesIsrael has said it would extend the cease-fire by one day for every 10 additional hostages released. Here’s what's happening in the war:QATAR SAYS ISRAEL AND HAMAS AGREE TO EXTEND TRUCE FOR TWO MORE DAYSQatar’s Foreign Ministry said Monday that an agreement has been reached to extend the Israel-Hamas truce for another two days. Hamas has released some hostages during a truce that began Friday in return for Israeli releases of Palestinian prisoners.
Persons: , Benjamin Netanyahu, — Elon, Majid Al Ansary, Elma Avraham, wasn’t, Tzachi Slotsky, Beer Sheba, Avraham’s, Tali Amano, Avraham, Amano, , , Cross, Jason Straziuso, ELON, Elon Musk, who’s, Isaac Herzog, Musk, ” Musk, Eylon Levy, Shlomo Karhi, ” Karhi, Riad, Malki, JERUSALEM, ” Yelena Magid, Roni Krivoi, ” Magid, UNRWA's, Morris Tidball, Alice Jill Edwards, Wang Yi, Wang Wenbin, ” Wang Wenbin, Frank, Walter Steinmeier, ” Steinmeier, “ Beeri, Hassan Fadlallah, Fadlallah, Islam, France’s, Samuel Paty, Charlie Hebdo, Jason J, Eaton Organizations: Qatar’s Foreign, Hamas, Sunday, Israel, Health Ministry, , Navy, Qatari Foreign, Soroka Medical, International Committee, ICRC Media, The Associated Press, Twitter, Israeli Ministry of Communications, Palestinian Foreign Affairs, European Union, Union for, Associated Press, United Nations, ISRAEL, BEIJING, Security, Chinese Foreign Ministry, ISRAEL BERLIN —, Beeri, Hezbollah, GO, PARIS —, MEN, UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT Police, University of Vermont, Burlington Police Department, Burlington Locations: Israel, Qatar, Egypt, Gaza, Tel Aviv, Barcelona, — U.S, israel, QATAR, ISRAEL, Beer, BARCELONA, Spain, Africa, HANOUN, Beit Hanoun, Geneva, New York, China, GERMANY, ISRAEL BERLIN — Germany, Beeri, BEIRUT, Iran, Lebanon, Aita, Paris, UNIVERSITY, Burlington
[1/11] An Israeli tank maneuvers, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, near Israel's border with Gaza in southern Israel, November 23, 2023. Egypt said 130,000 litres of diesel and four trucks of gas will be delivered daily to Gaza when the truce starts, and that 200 trucks of aid would enter Gaza daily. "We all hope that this truce will lead to a chance to start a wider work to achieve a permanent truce." "Control over northern Gaza is the first step of a long war, and we are preparing for the next stages," he added. Israel says Hamas fighters use residential and other civilian buildings, including hospitals, as cover - a charge that Hamas denies.
Persons: Amir Cohen, Majed Al, Ansari, Abu Ubaida, Daniel Hagari, Israel, U.N, Philippe Lazzarini, Deepa Babington, Stephen Coates Organizations: Palestinian, Hamas, REUTERS, Rights, Qatari, West Bank, UNRWA's, Gaza, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Israeli, Israel, Israel's, Gaza, Rights DOHA, GAZA, Iran, Qatar, Gaza City, Doha, Egypt, Palestinian, Jabalia, Indonesian
"We all hope that this truce will lead to a chance to start a wider work to achieve a permanent truce." A U.S. State Department official called the truce a "hopeful moment" but said work would continue to free all the hostages. Israel had received an initial list of hostages to be freed and was in touch with families, the prime minister's office said. Hamas said 30 people had been killed in an Israeli strike on a school affiliated with the UNRWA in Jabalia. Israel says Hamas fighters use residential and other civilian buildings, including hospitals, as cover.
Persons: Majed Al, Ansari, Joe Biden, Abu Ubaida, Daniel Hagari, Israel, U.N, Philippe Lazzarini, Abu Mustafa, Neighbour Khaled Hamad, Gilad Korngold, Khan Younis, Nasser, Al Shifa, Muhammad Abu Salamiya, Peter Graff, Andrew Heavens, Deepa Babington, William Maclean, Mark Heinrich, Jonathan Oatis, Diane Craft Organizations: Gaza Hamas, UNRWA, Hamas, Qatari, Doha, U.S . State Department, West Bank, UNRWA's, REUTERS, Gaza, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Palestinian, Gaza, DOHA, GAZA, Israel, Qatar, Gaza City, Massachusetts, Nantucket, U.S, Rafah, Jabalia, Indonesian, Gaza's
Israel, Hamas to Start First Truce in Gaza War
  + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com   time to read: +4 min
Egypt said 130,000 litres of diesel and four trucks of gas will be delivered daily to Gaza when the truce starts, and that 200 trucks of aid would enter Gaza daily. "We all hope that this truce will lead to a chance to start a wider work to achieve a permanent truce." "Control over northern Gaza is the first step of a long war, and we are preparing for the next stages," he added. Israel launched its devastating invasion of Gaza after gunmen from Hamas burst across the border fence on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and seizing about 240 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israel says Hamas fighters use residential and other civilian buildings, including hospitals, as cover - a charge that Hamas denies.
Persons: Andrew Mills, Majed Al, Ansari, Abu Ubaida, Daniel Hagari, Israel, U.N, Philippe Lazzarini, Deepa Babington, Stephen Coates Organizations: Bassam Masoud, Hamas, Qatari, West Bank, UNRWA's, Gaza, Reuters Locations: Bassam, Bassam Masoud DOHA, GAZA, Israel, Gaza, Iran, Qatar, Gaza City, Doha, Egypt, Palestinian, Jabalia, Indonesian
Israel said its troops uncovered unspecified weapons and "terror infrastructure" inside the hospital compound after killing fighters in a clash outside. Once inside, they said there had been no fighting and no friction with civilians, patients or staff. Other photos showed Israeli troops in tactical formation walking past makeshift tents and mattresses. "We can confirm that incubators, baby food and medical supplies brought by IDF tanks from Israel have successfully reached the Shifa hospital. The Israeli troops dismounted and spread out in the yard, and began searching the basement and entering buildings.
Persons: Al Shifa, Israel, Dr Ahmed El Mohallalati, Martin Griffiths, Peter Lerner, Joe Biden, Thomas White, Nidal al, Maayan Lubell, James Mackenzie, Crispian Balmer, Abir Al Ahmar, Claudia Tanos, Peter Graff, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Al, Palestinian, Hamas, Military, UN, Reuters, Troops, Israel Defence Forces, United, Medical, Fourth Geneva Convention, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Gaza City, Israel, GAZA, Gaza's, Al, Gaza, United States, Rafah, Jerusalem, Dubai
U.N. observes minute's silence for 101 staff killed in Gaza
  + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com   time to read: +2 min
[1/2] The United Nations flag flies at half-mast at the European headquarters, honouring the more than 100 employees killed in Gaza since the Israel-Hamas war began last month in Geneva, Switzerland, November 13, 2023. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse Acquire Licensing RightsGENEVA, Nov 13 (Reuters) - United Nations workers observed a minute's silence on Monday to honour the more than 100 employees killed in Gaza since the Israel-Hamas war began last month as U.N. flags flew at half mast. "This is the highest number of aid workers killed in the history of our organisation in such a short time," said Tatiana Valovaya, Director-General of the United Nations in Geneva. "We are gathered here today, united in this very symbolic location, to pay respect to our brave colleagues who sacrificed their lives while serving under the United Nations flag." "But the United Nations is more relevant than ever."
Persons: Denis Balibouse, Tatiana Valovaya, Israel, Valovaya, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Cécile, Emma Farge, Nick Macfie Organizations: United Nations, Hamas, REUTERS, Rights, U.N, UNRWA, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, Geneva, Switzerland, U.N, Palestinian, Nigeria, Abuja, United
Israeli military vehicles manoeuvre during the ongoing ground operation of the Israeli army against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, as seen in an image released on November 13. The agency chief, Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, told donors on Monday that it had been slowly emptying a fuel depot on the Israeli border containing strategic reserves. A request to the Israeli military to replenish it had gone unanswered, he said. Israel's military has so far refused imports of fuel into Gaza, saying they could be diverted to Hamas for military purposes. "So the situation is very dire now and it's about to get much worse," Lazzarini told donors.
Persons: Philippe Lazzarini, Lazzarini, Emma Farge, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Hamas, Israel Defense Forces, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, UNRWA, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Gazans, Israel, al
Smoke rises over Gaza as seen from Southern Israel, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas, November 10, 2023. UNRWA is mourning, Palestinians mourning, Israelis mourning," Philippe Lazzarini said on social media platform X. Besides Gaza, the next most deadly conflicts for U.N. aid workers was Nigeria in 2011 when a suicide bomber attacked its Abuja office during an Islamist insurgency, killing 46. In addition, seven other non-U.N. Palestinian aid workers have been killed in Gaza, the database showed. Established in 1949 following the first Arab-Israeli war, UNRWA provides public services including schools, healthcare and aid.
Persons: Evelyn Hockstein, Philippe Lazzarini, Juliette Touma, Israel, Emma Farge, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Riham Alkousaa, Stephanie van den, Miranda Murray, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Hamas, REUTERS, GENEVA, United Nations, Reuters, UN, Communications, UNRWA, Aid Worker Security, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Southern Israel, Israel, Palestinian, Nigeria, Abuja, Sudan, Afghanistan, U.S
Israel is blockading Gaza and refuses to allow in fuel, saying it could be used by the Hamas militant group for their military goals. The U.S. was "working on a mechanism that can get fuel to where it's needed" in Gaza, he said. Medical authorities in Hamas-run Gaza said on Tuesday that 8,525 people including 3,542 minors had been killed. Distribution is particularly hard in northern Gaza, the main focus of Israel's military operation, aid officials say, and some have halted all deliveries. World Health Organization (WHO) spokesperson Christian Lindmeier said on Tuesday it had sent no further aid to northern Gaza hospitals since Oct. 24, citing a lack of security guarantees.
Persons: Antonio Guterres, Gazans, Juliette Touma, Jonathan Crickx, Antony Blinken, Washington, Blinken, Christian Lindmeier, Rick Brennan, David Satterfield, UNRWA's Touma, Gabrielle Tetrault, Farber, Michelle Nichols, Humeyra Pamuk, Simon Lewis, Nidal, William Maclean, Gareth Jones Organizations: UNRWA, International Federation of Red, Red Crescent Societies, UNICEF Palestine, UNICEF, Palestinian, Palestine Red Crescent Society, Handout, REUTERS, White House, Health Organization, WHO, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Gaza, U.N, Palestinian, Rafah, Egypt, Israel, Ukraine, The U.S, Palestine, Deir al, Cairo , U.S
Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, said he saw no contradiction between supporting Palestinian refugees and building ties with Israel. "You can have strong bilateral relations with Israel and be a strong supporter of the agency," Lazzarini told Reuters. "Whatever rapprochement or ties (with Israel) should not have the slightest impact on your commitment and your solidarity with the Palestine refugees and your support to an agency like UNRWA. "We have normal access when it comes to delivering our services in Gaza and the West Bank, but we are very concerned about the increased violence impacting this community," he said. Last year saw the worst levels of violence in the West Bank in more than a decade after Israel launched a crackdown on militants in response to fatal Palestinian street attacks.
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