NEW YORK, February 26, 2025 (WAFA) – Philippe Lazzarini, the UNRWA Commissioner-General said Wednesday that the West Bank is undergoing an alarming spillover of the Gaza war.

In remarks on the X platform, Lazzarini said more than 50 people, including children, have been reported killed since the Israeli operation started 5 weeks ago.

He warned that the destruction of public infrastructure, bulldozing roads, and access restrictions are commonplace.

“People’s lives have been turned upside down, bringing back traumas and loss. Around  40,000 people have been forced to flee their homes especially in refugee camps in the north,” he further noted.

He said that fear, uncertainty, and grief once again prevail, pointing out that affected camps lie in ruins.

“More than 5,000 children who normally go to UNRWA schools have been deprived of education, some for over 10 weeks now,” he said, adding that patients cannot access healthcare, and families are cut off from water, electricity and other basic services.

More and more people are relying on humanitarian aid at a time when aid agencies are overstretched and severely under-resourced, Lazzarini said.

“Our UNRWA  teams are tracking displaced people and continue to provide them with much-needed food, health care, and basics to keep them warm,” the UN official stressed.

He said the West Bank is becoming a battlefield, noting that “ordinary Palestinians are the first and most to suffer. This must end.”

A.D./ K.F.