For Raquel Martí, UNRWA is “an uncomfortable witness” and “a constant reminder to the international community that there are 6 million Palestinian refugees with rights”. The organization avoids the umpteenth deficit crisis due to the brake on donations, the result of allegations of links with Hamas by Israel. UNRWA adds 75 years of challenges and today struggles with a Gaza under total Israeli blockade and at risk of starvation.
What is UNRWA’s x-ray of Gaza today?
We accumulate 162 workers killed, the highest number in the history of the United Nations, and more than 150 facilities affected, some completely destroyed. Both Hamas and Israeli Army fighters are using them. Under the UN flag, in the shelters, more than 400 people have been killed, mostly women, boys and girls, and more than 1,400 injured.
How is the agency working on the ground?
UNRWA has the largest logistics base in Rafah. There are the staff, 3,000 of the 13,000 who continue to provide their services. These are health personnel, logistics and psychologists to serve the population.
Israel maintains that it “does not limit the amount of aid”, that the UN and the international organizations are not distributing it “due to incapacity”.
The aid that goes into Gaza is what Israel allows to go into it. On average, in February there were 70 trucks per day and in March they started to increase to 150. The problem is that Israel does three reviews of the goods in a very slow procedure that does not allow for more traffic. In addition, it has a list of materials that it has decided to ban such as anesthetics, water purification tablets, or anti-cancer drugs… Many of the trucks that may contain any of these materials are rejected and have to return to Egypt. If Israel opened all the entrance gates, more trucks would enter every day. That’s what we ask.
How does the investigation continue after Israel’s accusations about the alleged involvement of UNRWA workers in the October 7 attacks?
It is underway and we hope that the report will be ready by the middle or end of April. What we know so far is that Israel has not shared the evidence it says it has. What UNRWA has published is a report with dozens of testimonies of workers who have been detained and subjected to ill-treatment, even sexual abuse, and who, under torture, have been forced to confess that they are members of Hamas or to accuse colleagues. Every time Israel takes personnel to its centers outside of Gaza it brings them in through Kerem Shalom, and we’re recording everything from bruises to broken arms…
