UNRWA warns of catastrophic consequences for Palestine refugees if the two Israeli laws are implemented

Speaking from the Jordanian capital, Amman, to reporters in Geneva on Friday, Toma said that the agency has not yet received any official contact from the Israeli authorities on how to implement the two laws throughout the occupied land. She pointed out that the visas of international employees ended two days ago, forcing them to leave the Palestinian land.

The Knesset had adopted two laws that would stop the work of UNRWA in the occupied Palestinian land and prohibit Israeli officials’ communication with the agency.

Juliet Toma said that the Palestinian UNRWA staff – who make up the vast majority of the agency’s employees – continue to provide services despite the confrontation An exceptionally hostile environment and a fierce misleading campaign..

She noted that UNRWA lost more than 270 of its employees in the Gaza Strip, and at least two thirds of its facilities were bombed during the war, while about 20 UNRWA employees are still in Israeli detention centers.

Meanwhile, the agency complex in East Jerusalem was subjected to violent protests, stones, and deliberate burning in three separate incidents, and UNRWA staff were also arrested in the region.

The work continues despite the entry into force

UNRWA official said that despite the Israeli Secretary -General calling for the United Nations to stop the agency’s operations in Jerusalem, it continues to provide services, including primary health care for 70,000 patients and education for more than 1,100 students.

Toma said that UNRWA managed to enter trucks from the basic supplies yesterday to Gaza, and five thousand of its employees continue on the ground to distribute supplies throughout the sector, but there is no information yet whether the operation continues today.

She noted that UNRWA is the largest humanitarian organization working in Gaza and forms the backbone of the operation there. She said that the agency brought 60 percent of all aid that arrived in Gaza since the ceasefire began on January 19, and confirmed that if its work stops, “The fate of a very fragile ceasefire will be in danger.”

س In order: “We are committed to UNRWA to stay and provide aid throughout the occupied Palestinian land that includes the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. We have to have support now, especially since people’s lives in Gaza depends on the agency’s work and the future of children in the West Bank Western depends on UNRWA. “

The health situation in Gaza

From inside the Gaza Strip, the representative of the World Health Organization in the occupied Palestinian land, Dr. Rick Biberkorn, told reporters that health needs are enormous, as only 18 out of 36 hospitals are partially operating and 57 out of 142 health care centers in the service.

He said that the ceasefire allows the expansion of aid, as the organization sent supplies to cover the health needs of 1.6 million people from the stocks inside Gaza, and has already received about 62 trucks of supplies.

However, Dr. Biberkorn indicated that the psychological burden in the sector cannot be perceived. He added: “Everyone in Gaza has been affected by 15 months of conflict. Tension and anxiety increased. There are two psychiatrists in the north along with a few mental health specialists. Before the war, there was a psychiatric hospital and six points of community mental health covering the Gaza Strip, but By early 2024, they all stopped due to attacks and conflict. “

The WHO representative highlighted the need to urgently resume medical evacuation. He said that medical corridors must be opened now, as the organization estimates that between 12 and 14,000 people need a medical evacuation, including at least 2,500 children.

He called for the restoration of the traditional referral path to the West Bank and East Jerusalem, where hospitals are “Ready to receive Palestinian patients in Gaza.” Assure On the need to transfer patients to other countries from the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Egypt when needed.

Dr. Biberkarn said that the first medical evacuation since the ceasefire is expected through the Rafah crossing for about 50 patients tomorrow, Saturday, but he warned that if this evacuation continues since the closure of the crossing, “we will be in a medical evacuation for 5 to 10 years to come, and this is It must change. “