Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of UNRWA
Aid distribution has become ‘death trap’ in Gaza, says UNRWA chief
The Commissioner-General of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA has condemned the deadly conditions surrounding aid distribution in Gaza, calling it a “death trap” after medics reported mass casualties among civilians.
Read more: US-backed group denies ‘Israeli’ attack at Rafah aid site
“Aid deliveries and distribution must be at scale and safe,” UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said Sunday in a post on X. “In Gaza, this can be done only through the United Nations including UNRWA.”
#Gaza: aid distribution has become a death trap.
— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) June 1, 2025
Mass casualties including scores of injured & killed among starving civilians due to gunshots this morning. This is according to reports from international medics on ground.
A distribution point by the Israeli- American plan was…
Lazzarini cited reports from international medics on the ground, describing widespread injuries and deaths after gunfire erupted during an aid distribution attempt early Sunday morning. The incident reportedly took place near Rafah, in southern Gaza, where the US-backed group, Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), coordinated a distribution point that had been set up.
“This humiliating system has forced thousands of hungry and desperate people to walk for tens of miles to an area that’s all but pulverized due to heavy bombardment by the Israeli Army,” Lazzarini said, calling for the immediate lifting of the siege.
Over 1 million children in Gaza are at risk of starvation, he warned, and stressed that only safe and unhindered access for UN agencies can prevent further mass deaths.
Amid ongoing disinformation campaigns and competing narratives, Lazzarini also urged international media to be granted access to Gaza to report independently on the crisis, including what he described as Sunday’s “heinous crime.”
