Nearly four months after the ceasefire began in the Gaza Strip, the outgoing head of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, has delivered a sober assessment of the humanitarian situation, warning that aid deliveries remain far below what is needed.
“The first phase of the peace plan was by no means satisfactory,” Lazzarini said on Friday during a visit to Luxembourg. “We have only managed to reverse the trend of famine.”
Lazzarini, who has led UNRWA since 2020 and whose mandate ends in March, has overseen the agency during what he described as its most difficult period since its founding in 1949.
That period followed the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, which killed around 1,200 people, and Israel’s subsequent military campaign and occupation of Gaza, which has claimed at least 50,000 lives.
Every institution or individual that has advocated for Gaza has subsequently been denied access to the Gaza Strip
Philippe Lazzarini
Outgoing head of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)
The UN agency has come under sustained pressure from Israel’s government, which accuses UNRWA of links to Hamas. In response, Lazzarini dismissed nine staff members suspected of involvement.
An independent inquiry chaired by former French foreign minister Catherine Colonna concluded in 2024 that while certain political statements by employees and problematic textbook content warranted criticism, UNRWA as an institution was largely exonerated.
Luxembourg’s foreign minister, Xavier Bettel (DP), said during a joint press conference that concerns about textbooks containing extremist content had been addressed. He described UNRWA as a “stabiliser for Palestinian refugees and for the Middle East,” adding that not all Israeli leaders recognised that “UNRWA’s stability also means Israel’s stability.”
Humanitarian law ‘trampled’
Bettel reaffirmed Luxembourg’s support for the agency, noting that the Grand Duchy had maintained its funding commitments at a time when several countries had suspended contributions. Lazzarini was also received by Grand Duke Guillaume and members of parliament during his visit.
Lazzarini thanked Luxembourg for its continued backing and confirmed that discussions have been underway for about a year to establish a UNRWA office in the country, focusing on the secure digital storage of archives endangered by the war.
However, he also warned that international humanitarian law was being “blatantly trampled on before our eyes.” More than 380 UNRWA staff have been killed since the war began, and over 80% of the agency’s facilities in Gaza – including schools and health centres – have been damaged or destroyed.
Lazzarini also criticised Israeli efforts to restrict the work of aid organisations. In late January, Israeli authorities began demolishing UNRWA’s headquarters in East Jerusalem.
“Every institution or individual that has advocated for Gaza has subsequently been denied access to the Gaza Strip,” he said, noting that international media have still not been granted independent access to the territory.
Second Global Sumud Flotilla call for participation announced
Following the departure of the first Global Sumud Flotilla in September-October 2025, a second mission has been announced.
The initiative was presented on 5 February 2026 at the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Johannesburg.
Organized by the Global Solidarity Flotilla (GSF), a coalition of NGOs including the Global Movement to Gaza (GMTG) Luxembourg, the mission is scheduled to begin on 29 March.
It will combine a maritime flotilla of approximately 100 ships with simultaneous humanitarian land convoys. Registration is open to participants from around 100 countries.
(With additional reporting from Loréne Paul)
Israel has also announced plans to halt the operations of Doctors Without Border (MSF) in Gaza.
Lazzarini described the move as devastating, calling MSF an indispensable actor in supporting hospitals. He warned that such decisions reduce both humanitarian capacity and the number of independent witnesses to violations, not only in Gaza but also in other conflict zones.
Conditions remain particularly dire for children, he added. Food shortages persist, winter conditions have been severe, and people have died from exposure because adequate shelter could not be brought into the territory.
Gaza-Egypt crossing is reopening for limited passage of people
(This article has been first published by the Wort. AI translated, with editing and adaptation by Lucrezia Reale.)
