This act of destruction comes amid growing hostility towards UNRWA by Israel.     Photo: Sana

Ramallah, November 2 (RHC)-- Israeli occupation forces perpetrated a new act of aggression against peace, this time severely damaging the office of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in the Nur Shams refugee camp in the West Bank.

The complaint was made by the head of the agency, Philippe Lazzarini, who said that "it was the center for providing basic services to more than 14,000 Palestinian refugees in the camp, including learning for children, health, sanitation and social protection."

Lazzarini also regretted that the office had been rendered unusable after the attack.
"This act of destruction occurs in a context of growing hostility towards Unrwa by Israel and on Monday, the Israeli Knesset (parliament) approved a law that prohibits the agency from operating in the occupied territories."

The decision has generated a wave of international indignation, as the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) warned of the serious consequences that the disappearance of Unrwa, the main humanitarian actor in the Gaza Strip, will have.

"The children of Gaza are already facing one of the most serious humanitarian crises in recent history; if fully implemented, this decision will be fatal," UNICEF warned in a statement, calling for urgent protection of the agency and guaranteeing its work in the region.

The decision by the Israeli parliament to ban the work of UNRWA, considered the backbone of humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip, represents a direct threat to the lives of thousands of people, especially children, who depend on its essential services, the international organization said.