The global community is largely overlooking the severe humanitarian crisis and civilian casualties occurring in Gaza, according to Sam Rose, a representative of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
“While attention is certainly on [Gaza], it’s not leading to action. In the past, there was a sense that at some point [the situation] would reach a breaking point, and the world would say, ‘Enough,’” Rose told Politico. He noted that the tragic stories in the media and the escalating violence in Gaza have not yet galvanized the world to act.
Rose emphasized that there seems to be a double standard in public reaction. “There is a sense that if this were happening to a people other than Palestinians, the response would be very different,” he observed. Following the Israeli airstrikes on a UNRWA school in central Gaza on September 11, which killed six UNRWA staff members, he added that workers now fear wearing UN insignia, worried it might make them targets. “It feels like there’s just too much horror. I’m honestly astounded that no one is stepping in to change things,” Rose said, describing the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.
On October 28, Israel’s Knesset passed a law banning UNRWA from operating in the country. The law prohibits UNRWA from maintaining offices, providing services, or engaging in any activities directly or indirectly within Israeli territory. UNRWA spokesperson Jonathan Fowler told TASS that this decision places thousands of UNRWA employees in danger. Fowler expressed concern that this move “sets a troubling precedent” for other conflicts where governments might similarly seek to remove UN involvement.
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Based on materials from TASS