IQNA

Suffering Persists: UNRWA Says Gaza Ceasefire Fails to Stop Hunger, Disease, Civilian Deaths

16:09 - April 01, 2026
News ID: 3496949
IQNA – A formal ceasefire has done little to ease the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, where civilians are still being killed and the population is enduring severe water and food shortages as disease takes hold.

Destruction resulting from Israeli attacks in Gaza

 

This is according to the Commissioner-General of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, speaking at a press conference on Tuesday.

Lazzarini said that UNRWA remains the only agency capable of delivering large-scale services in the Gaza Strip, highlighting the absence of any viable alternative to carry out its responsibilities.

He also pointed to a “silent war” in the West Bank, citing settler attacks and demolitions, including incidents targeting UNRWA facilities in East Jerusalem al-Quds.

He warned that the agency is facing a severe funding crisis, despite the renewal of its mandate for three years, stressing that UNRWA may be unable to continue its operations without urgent financial support. He added that targeting the agency could set a dangerous precedent affecting other UN institutions.

Israeli occupation forces have been violating the ceasefire agreement on a daily basis since October 10. According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, 704 Palestinians have been killed and 1,914 injured since the ceasefire was declared, while the bodies of 756 Palestinians have been recovered during the same period.

Read More:

Since October 7, 2023, the Israeli regime, with American and European support, has committed genocide in the Gaza Strip, including killing, starvation, destruction, displacement, and arrests, ignoring international appeals and orders from the International Court of Justice to cease its actions.

The genocide has left more than 244,000 Palestinians dead or wounded, most of them children and women, with over 11,000 missing, alongside hundreds of thousands of displaced people. It has also led to famine conditions that have claimed numerous lives, particularly among children, and caused widespread destruction, effectively erasing large parts of the Gaza Strip.

 

Source: Middle East Monitor

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