UNRWA collapse will deprive generation of Palestinian children from education: Agency Chief

New York: Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini sounded the alarm over the agency's fragile funding situation, warning that its collapse could deprive an entire generation of Palestinian children of education, fostering conditions for more extremism.

Speaking to reporters, Lazzarini highlighted the agency's role in providing vital services such as education, health care and aid to nearly 6 million Palestinian refugees across Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.

Describing UNRWA as "a lifeline," he stressed that its collapse would leave children without the opportunity for education, a situation he called "a recipe for disaster."

Lazzarini had previously stressed that the abrupt dismantling of UNRWA would only deepen the suffering of Palestinian refugees.