The U.N. relief agency for Palestinian refugees warned that it would run out of fuel by Wednesday, complicating further assistance amid ongoing Israeli aerial attacks on the enclave and the looming threat of Israel’s ground invasion.
Lazzarini warned that “without fuel, we will fail the people of Gaza whose needs are growing by the hour, under our watch,” adding, “this cannot and should not happen.”
🆘 @UNRWA will run out of fuel in three days
Without fuel, there will be no water, no functioning hospitals and bakeries.
Without fuel, there will be no humanitarian assistance.
No fuel will further strangle the children, women and people of 📍#Gazahttps://t.co/oXO5a2o6Dv pic.twitter.com/PeIf8o1LQF
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) October 22, 2023
He appealed to “all parties and those with influence over them” to immediately allow fuel supplies into Gaza and to ensure that it is strictly used to prevent humanitarian operations from collapsing.
Although he welcomed the entry of the first humanitarian convoy into Gaza on Saturday, Mr. Lazzarini said it was “far from enough”, stressing the need for sustained aid.
UNRWA also published its latest situation report on Sunday, which revealed that 13 more staff members have been killed since the conflict began, bringing the total to 29, while a further 17 have been injured.
In a post on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, UNRWA noted that half of those killed were teachers. “As an Agency, we are devastated. We are grieving with each other and with the families,” it said.
The report also documented that 12 displaced people sheltering at UNRWA schools have been killed, and nearly 180 injured.
