Gaza hunger crisis could return if Israeli blockade continues, UN relief agency chief says

GENEVA - There is a risk that Gaza experiences another hunger crisis if Israel continues to block aid, the head of UNRWA, UN agency for Palestinian refugees, said on March 10, warning the situation is quickly deteriorating.

Israel

cut aid flows of food, medicine and fuel imports

earlier in March, a move it said was designed to pressure militant group Hamas in ceasefire talks. On March 9, it

announced an electricity cut

, which aid groups say would deprive Gazans of clean water.

“I think the more we go ahead (with aid blockages), the more we will see the impact increasing on the population. And obviously, the risk... is that we go back to the situation we experienced months ago about deepening hunger in the Gaza Strip,” said UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini.

“Whatever the intent is, it’s clearly a weaponisation of humanitarian aid into Gaza,” he told reporters. “We have seen the situation is deteriorating very, very quickly.”

In the same press briefing in Geneva, he described the agency’s financial situation as “critical and precarious”.

Israel, which has long alleged that UNRWA has ties to Hamas, barred the agency from its territory in January.

Israel’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva said earlier on March 10 that it is

actively encouraging UN agencies and others

to take over UNRWA’s work in Gaza.

Mr Lazzarini said UNRWA was subjected to a disinformation campaign and that it has not seen any other groups replacing it in Gaza so far.  REUTERS