UNRWA: GAZA NEEDS EXPANDED HUMANITARIAN AID, NOT ADDITIONAL RESTRICTIONS

NEW YORK, Jan 12 (Bernama-WAFA) -- Director of Communications at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Jonathan Fowler on Sunday warned of the risks posed by new restrictions imposed by Israel on the registration of international organisations operating in the Gaza Strip.

According to the Palestine News and Info Agency (WAFA), Fowler said that the Gaza Strip currently needs an expansion of humanitarian assistance, not the imposition of additional restrictions.

He pointed out that the situation in Gaza remains catastrophic despite the ceasefire agreement, as Palestinians continue to be killed, aid remains insufficient, and suffering continues to intensify.

Fowler said humanitarian conditions in the Strip are worsening, particularly as residents face winter storms and the spread of respiratory illnesses due to cold weather.

He stressed that children are the most affected in Gaza, noting that the Strip is witnessing the highest rates of limb loss among children worldwide.

Fowler added that UNRWA has continued to provide educational and psychosocial support since October 2023; however, such assistance remains insufficient to address the long-term damage.

Regarding restrictions on the registration of organisations, Fowler said they further complicate humanitarian operations, stressing that international law obliges Israel to facilitate such operations. He emphasised that Gaza is not Israeli land, but part of the occupied Palestinian Territory.

He concluded by saying that Gaza urgently needs increased humanitarian assistance at this stage, as had been expected with the start of the ceasefire.

-- BERNAMA-WAFA