People are anxious and fearful about a possible large-scale military operation, he told reporters, recalling that thousands of Palestinians in the area have nowhere to go.
There is no longer a safe place in Rafah and the fear is that the number of people killed and wounded might increase significantly, Lazzarini said in Geneva, regarding the announcement of the Israeli forces to intensify their operations in the area against Hamas militants.
The UNRWA chief considered unfeasible the relocation of more than one million displaced people who remain in that city bordering Egypt.
At the same time, Lazzarini dismissed the possible replacement of the UNRWA in the Gaza Strip while the UN investigation makes progress after Israel’s accusations linking several of its members to the Palestinian resistance.
Lazzarini’s statements were in response to a proposal by Israel’s Ambassador to the UN headquarters in Geneva, Meirav Eilon Shahar, who told the forum about the possibility of seeking “alternatives to the UNRWA.”
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