HAMILTON, Canada

The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) head on Friday hailed the recently announced Gaza ceasefire deal, describing it as a "starting point" to respond the ongoing suffering.

"We need rapid, unhindered and uninterrupted humanitarian access to respond to the tremendous suffering in Gaza. A ceasefire is only a starting point," Philippe Lazzarini said during a news conference at UN headquarters in New York.

Pledging UNRWA's readiness to support global response to bolster aid delivery, Lazzarini said: "We are ready to support the recovery of Gaza by resuming education and continuing to provide primary healthcare."

Lazzarini warned that the Israeli Knesset's new legislation preventing the agency from operating in Palestinian territories implementation in less than two weeks "will be catastrophic."

"In Gaza, it will massively weaken the international humanitarian response. This will immeasurably worsen already catastrophic living conditions," he said.

On Israel's claims of UNRWA services being transferred to other entities, Lazzarini said: "In fact, the Agency's mandate and capacity to provide public-like services to an entire population are unique."

"UNRWA’s ability to directly provide education and primary healthcare far exceeds that of any other entity. These services can only be transferred to a functioning State," he said, stressing that UNRWA and its personnel are "tightly woven into the social fabric of Gaza."

"The disintegration of the Agency will intensify the breakdown of social order," he added.

He further warned that dismantling UNRWA would undermine the ceasefire deal and block the recovery and political transition of Gaza.

He recalled that Palestinian Authority in the occupied West Bank territories "does not have the financial resources or capacity to compensate for the loss of UNRWA’s services."

"A chaotic dismantling of UNRWA will irreversibly harm the lives and future of Palestinians. It will obliterate their trust in the international community and any solution it attempts to facilitate," he added.

Saying that the agency is the working closely with Palestinian Authority in occupied Palestinian territories, he noted that UNRWA is "the second-largest healthcare provider in the West Bank."

Lazzarini said that he pointed out the "global disinformation campaign against" UNRWA at the closed UN Security Council on Gaza today.

"Intense diplomatic lobbying by the Government of Israel and affiliates has targeted parliaments and governments in top donor countries," he told reporters, recalling the advertisements against UNRWA in various cities including New York.

Lazzarini said the advertisements were paid for by the Israeli Foreign Ministry.

"This propaganda endangers our staff in the occupied West Bank and in Gaza – where 269 colleagues have already been killed," he said, noting that such disinformation causes "permissive environment for the harassment of our representatives in Europe and the US."

"This year, the Israeli Foreign Ministry received a funding boost of $150 million for such propaganda – approximately a sixth of UNRWA’s annual operating budget," he added.

On the ceasefire deal, Lazzarini said it should be followed by a political transition that would include UNRWA's mandate.

"A clear choice lies before us: We can allow UNRWA to implode because of the Knesset legislation and the suspension of funding by key donors. Or we can allow the Agency to progressively conclude its mandate within a political framework," he said.

He further described UNRWA's role as "pivotal" for education, and said: "In Gaza today, 650,000 girls and boys are living in the rubble."

"Absent a full-fledged State, only UNRWA has the capacity to bring them back to learning," he added, warning that a failure to provide education in Gaza and occupied West Bank would sacrifice an entire generation of Palestinian children.

Lazzarini pointed to the alarming financial situation of UNRWA and said: "This is now a major risk as some key donors have decided to end or reduce their voluntary contributions to the Agency."

He appealed to the Security Council for an "an urgent increase in financial support" and "the early disbursement of allocated funds and a review of any funding currently on hold."

Asking Council members to "prevent the implementation of the Knesset legislation," Lazzarini also urged for "a political path forward and clearly delineate UNRWA’s role as a provider of essential services."