On his last day as head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini made an impassioned call for a high-level investigation into the killing of nearly 400 agency staff during the conflict in Gaza. “I believe that we need to have a panel — a high-level panel of experts — to look into the killing of our staff,” the outgoing commissioner general told reporters in Geneva. Lazzarini noted that many other UNRWA workers have sustained “life-changing injuries or have been arbitrarily detained and tortured” since Israel’s war on Gaza began in October 2023. His farewell plea is a stark reminder that the humanitarian toll of the conflict extends far beyond combatants and civilians to the very people tasked with delivering aid.
Outgoing UNRWA Chief Demands Probe Into Staff Deaths in Gaza
