UNRWA: Labeling 250,000 people in Gaza as “terrorists” suggests planning for large-scale massacres, it’s time to act

Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) Philippe Lazzarini said Thursday evening that the Israeli government’s designation of nearly 250,000 people besieged in Gaza City and the north as “terrorists or supporters of terrorism” is a statement that suggests planning for large-scale massacres.

Lazzarini stressed, in a post on X platform, that this classification exposes women, children, the elderly, and vulnerable groups unable to move to the risk of mass death.

The Commissioner-General added: “No one has the right to kill civilians,” expressing deep concern about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the besieged areas.

Lazzarini explained that the continuation of international crimes in Gaza cannot be tolerated with complacency or silence, warning that “further inaction will lead to further complicity” with the conclusions of the UN Commission of Inquiry into what amounts to genocide.

He called on the international community to take immediate action to stop the bloodshed and protect civilians.

Lazzarini concluded his post by saying, “It’s time to act.”