UNRWA chief calls for investigations into ‘blatant’ Israeli breaches of international humanitarian law in Gaza
‘The fragile ceasefire in Gaza must be upheld,’ says UN agency head Philippe Lazzarini
Palestinians mourn the loss of their loved ones killed in an Israeli attack despite the ceasefire agreement, at Al Awda Hospital in Nuseirat, Gaza on October 20, 2025.
ISTANBUL
The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) called on Monday for independent investigations into “blatant” Israeli breaches of international humanitarian law in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli army struck an UN-run school shelter in central Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp on Sunday, killing four people and injuring several others.
“The fragile ceasefire in Gaza must be upheld,” UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement on US social media company X.
“Yesterday, four people were killed following shelling by Israeli forces of an UNRWA school-turned-shelter in Nuseirat refugee camp. More are reported injured,” he wrote.
“Since the war began, more than 800 people have been killed and nearly 2,600 injured in separate incidents affecting 300 UNRWA premises,” Lazzarini said, calling the attacks a grave violation of international law.
“I reiterate my call for independent investigations into these blatant breaches of international humanitarian law,” he said.
“The guns must fall silent, and accountability must come.”
The Gaza government media office reported 80 Israeli ceasefire violations since the US-sponsored agreement came into effect on Oct. 10, resulting in 97 Palestinians killed and 230 others injured.
Since October 2023, Israel’s genocidal war has killed more than 68,000 people and injured more than 170,000, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
