The acting director of the agency, Roland Friedrich, confirmed that the UNRWA is following with concern the humanitarian situation in the refugee camps in the north of the territory.

“Israel troops must avoid attacking civilians and respect UNRWA buildings,” the functionary said in an interview with the Wafa news agency.

Friedrich announced that the institution was forced to suspend its services in refugee camps in the area after the start of the Israeli offensive two days ago. “We cannot forget that this operation comes after 10 months of continuous military action in the territory that left cumulative effects on the psychological front, services and infrastructure,” he stressed.

He also warned about the statements of members of the Israeli government, including the Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz, who called for the deportation of Palestinians from West Bank areas, as is happening in the Gaza Strip. “These comments generate concern among United Nations institutions and the international community due to what is happening in the Gaza Strip,” he said.

Friedrich recalled that UNRWA provides services to more than 400,000 refugees in the West Bank in sectors such as education, health care, social protection and infrastructure. “The damage we are seeing now in the northern areas of the West Bank is great, but the available capacities of UNRWA, the Palestinian government and civil society institutions are limited,” he noted, stating that fundings to help the Palestinians is insufficient.

Friedrich denounced the Israeli campaign to discredit the agency and criticized bills in the Israeli Parliament that classify the humanitarian agency as terrorist.

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