Outgoing UNRWA head calls for high-level investigation into deaths of nearly 400 agency staff and destruction of UN premises during the Gaza conflict.

GENEVA: The outgoing head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees has called for a high-level investigation into the killing of nearly 400 of its staff during the Gaza war.

Philippe Lazzarini (pic) condemned the deaths of “more than 390” UNRWA employees since the conflict began in October 2023.

“Many others have sustained life-changing injuries or have been arbitrarily detained and tortured,” he told reporters in Geneva. He stressed the need for a panel to examine the killings of UNRWA and other UN personnel.

Lazzarini also highlighted the “extraordinary, large-scale destruction” of UN premises in Gaza. He warned that Israeli attacks and severe funding cuts have pushed the agency towards potential collapse.

The outgoing commissioner-general said he raised the issue of an investigation with the UN Secretary-General’s office and member states. He acknowledged the challenge of timing in a highly polarised context.

“The more time goes, the more difficult the task for the commission will be in the future,” Lazzarini stated. The war began with a Hamas attack on Israel in 2023, which Israeli figures say killed 1,221 people.

Israel’s subsequent military campaign has killed at least 72,000 people in Gaza, according to the territory’s health ministry. Both sides continue to accuse each other of violating a ceasefire that has been in place since October.

 The Sun Malaysia