UN official says Israel has stopped issuing visas to international NGO workers
Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), stated that Israel has stopped issuing visas to the heads and staff of international NGOs.
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In a post on his X social media account, Lazzarini emphasized that the Israeli government is increasingly reducing the representation of humanitarian organizations and those reporting on the brutality of the attacks and their impact on civilians.
Pointing out that while humanitarian needs continue to rise, there is a need for more, not fewer, humanitarian workers, but that the exact opposite is currently happening, Lazzarini stated the following:
"Israeli authorities have stopped issuing visas to the heads and staff of international NGOs. These organizations have been providing humanitarian aid to people in need in close partnership with the UN for years."
Lazzarini stressed that Israel is preventing humanitarian organizations and international media from doing their jobs properly, noting that this must end and the restrictions must be lifted.