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Letter From UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini to the UN General Assembly President Mr. Dennis Francis

UNRWA

8 Dec 2023

Dear Mr President,

I write pursuant to my responsibilities as Commissioner-General of the General Assembly-mandated United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), at the darkest hour in the Agency's 75-year history.

I submit this letter fully cognizant that the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General has written to the President of the Security Council on December 6, invoking article 99 of the UN charter.

I must inform you that UNRWA's ability to implement its General Assembly mandate in Gaza is today severely limited with immediate and dire consequences for the UN humanitarian response and the lives of civilians in Gaza. The long-term implications for Palestine Refugees and prospects for a fair and lasting political solution are grave.

On 7 October, Hamas and other militants launched abhorrent attacks in Israel killing more than 1,200 people, among them children and women, and taking over 240 hostages.

By the end of that day, as details of Hamas' action became public, several thousand civilians in Gaza moved pre-emptively to UNRWA premises, fearing unprecedented conflict and seeking safety under the UN flag protected by the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations and by international humanitarian law.

Today, as a result of Israel's military operation, nearly 1.2 million civilians are sheltering in UNRWA premises. The Agency has become the primary platform for humanitarian assistance to over 2.2 million people in Gaza - a platform on the verge of collapse.

His Excellency Mr Dennis Francis President of the General Assembly New York