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135 UNRWA workers killed in Gaza

December 15, 2023 at 1:32 pm

The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) distribute flour to Palestinian families fled their homes and took refuge in UNRWA schools as Israeli attacks continue in Rafah, Gaza on November 21, 2023 [Abed Rahim Khatib – Anadolu Agency]

Some 135 UNRWA workers have been killed in Gaza since 7 October, the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, announced yesterday.

Speaking during a press conference held on the sidelines of the Global Refugee Forum in the Swiss city of Geneva, Lazzarini added: “Hunger has now emerged over the last few weeks and we meet more and more people who haven’t eaten for one, two or three days.”

“Now, Rafah is the epicenter of the displacement of Gazans. This is where over 1 million people have fled to the Governate, and most of them have been moved more than once since the beginning of the war.”

“Rafah has quadrupled its number of people overnight,” he explained.

The UN official confirmed that “the number of UNRWA employees killed in Gaza has risen to 135.”

In Gaza, he continued, “everywhere you look, is congested with makeshift shelters. Everywhere you go, people are desperate, hungry and terrified.”

The Global Refugee Forum 2023 is being held from 13-15 December at the Palexpo Centre in the Swiss city of Geneva.

The forum is considered the largest international event in the world regarding refugees, where the world comes together to address challenges and find long-term solutions for more than 114 million forcibly displaced people, including 36 million refugees.

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