Shawesh lamented that the decision would deepen the suffering and misery of millions of Palestinian refugees, especially in Gaza, adding that it would also deprive nearly 650,000 students of their right to education in Gaza alone.
The Embassy of the State of Palestine in Nigeria on Thursday lamented that thousands of Palestinian refugees and students in Gaza will suffer and probably die following the Israeli Knesset’s approved bill to end the activities of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Gaza amid the ongoing war.
The Embassy in a statement issued on Thursday by the Palestinian Ambassador to Nigeria, Abdullah M. Abu Shawesh, and obtained by SaharaReporters said that despite international opposition, the Israeli Knesset approved a bill to end UNRWA's activity in the occupied West bank including East Jerusalem and Gaza strip.
Shawesh lamented that the decision would deepen the suffering and misery of millions of Palestinian refugees, especially in Gaza, adding that it would also deprive nearly 650,000 students of their right to education in Gaza alone.
According to the Ambassador, UNRWA employs 30,000 Palestinians, serves almost six million refugees, including in Gaza where 1,476,706 Palestinians are registered as refugees in eight Palestinian refugee camps, while in the West Bank 800,000 are registered.
“This bill does not revoke the refugee status of Palestinians, as it is safeguarded by UNGA resolutions and many other international law instruments until their right to return is acknowledged and the question of Palestinian refugees is resolved by implementing UN Resolution 194,” Shawesh said.
Shawesh added, “On the 391" day of the US-Israeli heinous, malicious, and vindictive genocide, here are some statistical figures: The death toll has risen to 43,163, with 101,510 injured.
“As of October 30, for the 24th day in a row, the northern Gaza Strip has been completely cut off from the rest of the enclave, under a total siege with no access to humanitarian aid, medical assistance, supplies, water, and other basic necessities for life.
“This has led to nearly 1000 martyrs, tens of missing persons and thousands injured, in addition to hundreds of homes being completely razed.
“The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates that more than 60,000 people have been displaced in northern Gaza in October alone.
“UNICEF estimates that at least 19,000 children have been separated from their families, forced to fend for themselves? Children are being medically evacuated from Gaza at a rate of fewer than one child per day.”
According to Shawesh, “If this lethally slow pace continues, it would take more than seven years to evacuate the 2,500 children needing urgent medical care.”
Shawesh noted that as of October 28, the total number of arrests has reached 11,500 in the Occupied West Bank, including Jerusalem, adding that the figures includes 430 women, 750 children, and 132 journalists, with 59 of them still under arrest, including six women journalists and 31 journalists from Gaza.
“More than 9,392 administrative detainees have been reported. 41 prisoners were martyred, and their bodies are still being held captive.
“In Gaza only, at least 232 UNRWA staff have been killed. Over 200 UNRWA premises have been damaged or destroyed,” Shawesh said.
The Ambassador further stated that on the one-year anniversary of the October 7, 2023 attack, a survey published by the Israel Democracy Institute found that only 6% of Israelis think the war in Gaza should be stopped due to "the great cost in human life.”
Shawesh added, “On the adapted Transforming our world: the 2030 agenda for sustainable development.”
The Ambassador noted that the international community raised a brilliant slogan called "We pledge that no one will be left behind," stressing, “We the Palestinians, were left behind.”