Gaza Has Become A Sea of Rubble, UNRWA Chief Says

Philippe Lazzarini, at a Security Council meeting on Wednesday, said Gaza has become "unrecognizable" following a year of devastating war, expressing concern that the violence sweeping through the West Asia region shows no signs of abating.

He said that after a year of the “catastrophic war on Gaza, no end is in sight to the brutal violence engulfing the region.”

Lazzarini noted that Gaza has become a sea of rubble and a graveyard for tens of thousands of people, including far too many children, adding that almost the entire population is displaced.

“Civilians are paying a heavy price. Airstrikes by Israeli forces are killing and enduring thousands and displeasing hundreds of thousands,” he added.

Lazzarini highlighted the dire circumstances facing children in Gaza, noting that they are suffering immense losses, with many killed, injured, or left orphaned. Over 650,000 children are currently out of school, grappling with severe trauma while living in the rubble as many have already endured a two-year setback in their education.

He also warned of escalating violence in the West Bank, saying as nearly 700 Palestinians have been killed over the past year, including more than 160 children. He also added that civilian life is increasingly militarized, settlement activity is expanding aggressively and the Israeli forces routinely destroy public infrastructure under the pretext of punishment for Palestinians.

“Lebanon is the latest casualty of the widening conflict.” Lazzarini said, adding that UNRWA has opened 11 shelters in the Arab country, hosting more than 4,500 Lebanese, Palestinian and Syrian displaced persons.

The commissioner emphasized the critical role of UNRWA in Gaza, warning that the agency's operational space is shrinking due to ongoing Israeli assaults.

He noted that senior Israeli officials are describing the dismantling of UNRWA as their "war goal," expressing a desire to eliminate the agency's presence and activities in the region.

He urged the Security Council to decide to which extent it will tolerate the acts that compromise international peace and security.

Moreover, Lazzarini in a post on X on Wednesday elaborated on the situation in northern Gaza, saying there was "no end to hell."

"At least 400,000 people are trapped in the area. Recent evacuation orders from the Israeli Authorities are forcing people to flee again & again, especially from Jabalia Camp.”

He added that many people were refusing evacuation orders citing a deep-seated belief that no location within the Gaza Strip offers safety.

The UN official also warned that "hunger is spreading & deepening again" as there is almost no basic supplies available.

He called for an immediate ceasefire, saying children who are the "first & most to suffer" deserve a secure future.

Israel’s savage war on the Gaza Strip has internally displaced about 1.9 million people, or 90 percent of the population in the besieged narrow strip, amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine.