Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), on Sunday tweeted, that in addition to the Israeli Authorities continuing to deny humanitarian access to his agency, 12 of whose employees took part in the Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023, “they have denied – for the second time – my entry to Gaza where I planned to be with our UNRWA teams including those on the front lines.”
In February, Israel demanded Lazzarini’s resignation, over his denial of knowledge of the existence of a Hamas data center under the agency’s headquarters in Gaza.
Also in February, the IDF disclosed that Hamas had constructed an extensive network of tunnels beneath the UNRWA headquarters. These tunnels included a base directly underneath, which was intricately linked to the UN agency’s communications grid.
While accusing Israel of denying access to his agency’s humanitarian aid to Gaza, Lazzarini also admitted that Hamas armed terrorists “launched rockets at the Kerem Shalom crossing causing its closure. It is used for most humanitarian deliveries.” (Three Killed, Eleven Wounded as Hamas Terrorists Fire Rockets, Mortar Shells from Rafah)
Three IDF soldiers were killed and eleven wounded on Sunday when Hamas fired a 10-rocket-and-mortar-shell barrage from the Rafah area of southern Gaza at Kibbutz Kerem Shalom. The Kerem Shalom crossing is the primary crossing between Israel and Gaza, where thousands of humanitarian aid trucks have passed through during the war.
As a result of the murderous attack, which was intended to provoke Israel into a massive retaliation in Rafah, with subsequent civilian casualties, the IDF shut down the crossing.
Lazzarini’s response to the attack was to “demand an independent investigation and accountability for the blatant disregard of humanitarian workers, operations, and facilities, all protected under international law.”
He also called “on Hamas and other armed groups to stop any attacks on humanitarian crossings, refrain from aid diversion, and make sure assistance reaches all those in need.”
“Aid diversion” is a euphemism for Hamas stealing aid trucks as soon as they enter Gaza. State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller last week admitted for the first time that Hamas robs the trucks, and diverts the aid to Hamas. But Miller won’t confirm that this has been Hamas’s practice since the first truck entered the Strip. He did confirm that the very first convoy to enter Gaza through the newly opened Erez Crossing was taken over by Hamas (US: Hamas Stole First Humanitarian Aid Convoy Going through Erez Crossing).
In 2023, before October 7, Lazzarini said about the situation in Gaza, “We will not be able to say we did not know. History will ask why the world did not have the courage to act decisively and stop this hell on Earth.”
Now we know the reason: corrupt bureaucrats like Philippe Lazzarini did not dare stand up to Hamas as it was usurping their facilities and many of their employees for the sake of killing innocent Jews.
