UN Agency Chief Says Israel Blocked Him From Entering Gaza

Cairo, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Mar, 2024) The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said Monday Israel had blocked him from entering the war-torn and besieged Gaza Strip where the United Nations has warned of impending famine.

Israel responded that UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini had not followed proper procedure.

Lazzarini, who last month said Israel "aimed at destroying UNRWA," said he had "intended to go into Rafah today, but was informed my entry had been declined." He spoke in a Cairo joint press conference with Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry.

Lazzarini wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that he had been denied entry by "Israeli authorities".

COGAT, an Israeli defence ministry body governing civilian affairs in the occupied Palestinian territories, said on X that Lazzarini had not followed "the necessary coordination processes and channels" when requesting entry into Gaza.

"This is another attempt by UNRWA to blame Israel for their own mistakes," it said of the UN agency at the centre of efforts to provide humanitarian relief in Gaza.

Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said "all UN officials, including Mr Lazzarini and his colleagues in UNRWA, should have access to do the vital humanitarian work they do."

Guterres "certainly wants Mr Lazzarini to have access throughout the areas in which UNRWA operates", Haq told reporters.