United Nations Radio

The UN agency helping Palestinians, known as UNRWA, has taken the difficult decision of suspending its aid deliveries in Gaza.

attacks on civilians in Gaza

Mshasha: It was a decision that was not taken lightly. We had exhausted all venues and all available means to impress upon the Israelis to give the needed safety and security arrangements for us to be able to render basic and needed humanitarian services. These guarantees had been basically not forthcoming. The two incidents today in which our staff and also contracted people working for UNRWA came under fire was not only the reason that prompted us to do that. There was a trend in the past few days that put our staff in our installations and even our beneficiaries in harms way, and unfortunately when I say in harms way, I mean really harms way. The incident in the UNRWA school in Jabaliya at which at the end of the day 43 people were killed and more than 100 injured was not an easy incident, it was an extremely hard incident or Commissioner-General to take, for our Deputy-Commissioner, for the staff to take. So for us to take this decision is extremely hard for us, it comes at the worst time for the people in Gaza...

Donn: I was about to ask that, what impact is this action likely to have on the people of Gaza who depend on UNRWA?

Mshasha: I can only close my eyes and imagine the psychological impact of that. For them, UNRWA was the last refuge, UNRWA was the place they could turn to when everything else before them was closed. Of course the services will continue to cooperate, of course the people in the services will not be let out and nobody will be turned away, but we cannot continue with other services. The last thing we want is our staff killed while delivering services or, God forbid, a woman with her children trying to --- in access to a distribution center or to a clinic being killed - this is the worst thing we could do. We know that it's a tough decision. We know that it comes at the worst time. We know that we are the only structure that is still functioning or semi-functioning in Gaza and yet this decision had to be taken, we do not know how long it will take. We appeal to the Israelis, we insist on the Israelis, we demand that the Israelis and the international community to really move to give the guarantees. Do not tie our hands, allow us to do our services. You're doing everybody a huge disservice, not the least the people of Gaza. They've been going through a living hell day in day out. At least, at least do not tie our hands, let us do our work. This our mandate and our responsibility and you are not letting us do this responsibility.

Donn: You've been talking about services. What services do you offer?

Mshasha: These services are multi-faceted. It's food aid, medical aid. We've also been carrying the load for the water and for the vicinity we've been trying to bring industrial fuel. We've been trying to bring medical equipment, spare parts for medical equipments. We've been trying to assist in many aspects when it comes to electricity, medicine, water and all other items.

Donn: Since you took this action earlier, has any effort been made to contact the Israeli authorities so that you can probably resume this?

Mshasha: Yes these contacts have been on-going and we hope that sense will prevail and that they will give us the needed guarantees. We do not move around in this trip just like that. They give us the needed guarantees and they give us the assurances and we move, and the past few incidents, despite the assurances given by the mandate, clearances, we discovered that these assurances and guarantees were not honored, and they were violated, and at the end of the day, people, staff were paying with their lives and their limbs.

Donn: Do you see UNRWA re-establishing its services either today or tomorrow? Is there time for it?

Mshasha: We are, on the face of Earth today, we are the number one structure that is eager to give aid and resume our services as soon as the conditions allow it.

PRES: Sami Mshasha, spokesman for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees.

Presenter: Bissera Kostova
(duration: 4'31")