Philippe Lazzarini is commissioner general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), an organization created in 1949 that operates in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. In the Palestinian enclave, more than 10,000 Palestinian staff members of the agency carry out humanitarian, educational and health missions.
Since the terrorist attack carried out by Hamas on October 7, 2023, relations with Israel have deteriorated, with Israel accusing UNRWA of complicity with the Palestinian movement – allegations that internal UN investigations have refuted. Lazzarini, who is no longer permitted by Israel to travel to Jerusalem, spoke to Le Monde via videoconference.
What is the situation in Gaza City as Israel's ground offensive intensifies?
There is an atmosphere of disbelief, panic, fear and anguish. The people of Gaza do not really know what they want to do or not do because evacuation orders to so-called "humanitarian" zones obviously mean very little to them. They feel, wherever they are, that there is no safe place. There is also the fear among residents that if they leave, they will not return. It is always this anxiety, inherited from the first Nakba [the forced displacement of 700,000 Palestinians at the creation of the State of Israel in 1948]: Once we leave, we will never come back.
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