RAMALLAH, December, 9, 2024 (WAFA) – UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said on Monday that by providing education services, they are trying to “ensure that the children of Gaza do not become a lost generation.”

 “In Gaza, amidst the humanitarian catastrophe, our teams have been providing back-to-learning sessions for thousands of displaced children whose formal education was interrupted in October 2023 over the past four months,” Lazzarini said in a post on X.

 “Through recreational activities, psychosocial support, and basic literacy and numeracy exercises, we are trying in the most desperate circumstances to do what we can to ensure that these children do not become a lost generation,” he added.

“A ceasefire in Gaza will be a crucial first step to getting children back on the path to education,” he stressed.

 “Wherever we work, UNRWA is committed to helping children be children,” Lazzarini said.

 “The escalation in Lebanon has disrupted the start of the school year for young Palestine refugees whom UNRWA has been providing education to for decades,” the UNRWA Commissioner-General explained.

He stressed that "following the ceasefire, our teachers worked tirelessly to get their classrooms back to work."

The Israeli Knesset approved in its second and third readings on Monday, October 28, a decision banning UNRWA from operating in areas under "Israeli sovereignty." The law also stipulates that "UNRWA shall not operate any representative office, provide any service, or carry out any activity, directly or indirectly, in the territory of the State of Israel."

On November 4, Israel informed the United Nations of the cancellation of the agreement on UNRWA's work, which means banning its activities if the decision comes into effect within three months.

Y.S