![United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini speaks to journalists during a press briefing in Berlin, Germany, on June 24, 2025. [Halil Sağırkaya - Anadolu Agency]](https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/AA-20250624-38370835-38370826-UNRWA_CHIEF_LAZZARINI_HOLDS_PRESS_BRIEFING_IN_BERLIN.jpg)
The Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, said on Tuesday that humanitarian workers are facing increasing restrictions when reporting atrocities in the Gaza Strip. Lazzarini noted that the Israeli authorities are increasingly refusing to renew visas for UN staff, creating a serious obstacle to ongoing humanitarian work and field monitoring. “All UNRWA international staff have not been granted visas for nearly six months now,” he noted. The UNRWA chief added that the Israeli authorities have personally barred him from entering Gaza since March 2024. This came shortly after a ruling by the International Court of Justice regarding the West Bank, in what he described as an escalation of restrictions on the work […]
