The Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, warned on Tuesday of the collapse of the agency due to Israeli Knesset laws that prohibit its work and the cessation of funding by major donors.

Lazzarini said the collapse of the agency would create a dangerous vacuum in the provision of essential services, creating “fertile ground for exploitation and extremism,” posing a threat to peace and stability in the region and beyond. He added that UNRWA faces significant operational challenges following the implementation of Knesset decisions, which forced the agency to evacuate its headquarters in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem, while its international staff were expelled from the occupied West Bank. He noted that the courage and commitment of the agency’s Palestinian staff had kept UNRWA schools and health clinics open to provide essential services to Palestinian refugees.

Lazzarini explained that UNRWA operations in the Gaza Strip continue through its local and international staff, whose entry or exit from Palestine is no longer facilitated by Israel. He added: “It is not clear to what extent (Israel) will restrict our ability to operate due to the ban on contact between UNRWA representatives and Israeli officials, but the agency will remain and will continue to implement its mandate until it is prevented from doing so.”

The Commissioner-General of UNRWA said that the Agency continues to play a crucial role in meeting the enormous needs of the people of the Gaza Strip, stressing that reducing its operations now is unhelpful and would sabotage recovery plans and political transition in Gaza.

"Time is running out to preserve UNRWA operations, and decisive intervention is urgently required," he added.

Lazzarini stressed that there is no alternative that can provide public services to Palestinian refugees in the occupied territories, and stressed the importance of allowing UNRWA to gradually end its mandate within the framework of a political process such as the two-state solution, and transferring responsibilities to capable and willing Palestinian institutions.

He stressed that the success of these efforts depends entirely on the strength of the international community's commitment to the political track, which must be supported by funding to maintain the agency's operations until the completion of the transfer of its services to Palestinian institutions.