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STATEMENT FROM Roland Friedrich, Director of UNRWA Affairs in the West Bank
EAST JERUSALEM,
UNRWA mourns the death of a colleague killed overnight in El Far’a Camp, in the northern West Bank. Sufyan Jaber Abed Jawwad was shot and killed on the roof of his home by a sniper during an overnight Israeli military operation in the early morning of 12 September. Sufyan worked as a sanitation labourer in El Far’a Camp and is survived by his wife and five children.
This marks the first time an UNRWA staff member has been killed in the West Bank in more than ten years. It comes as the West Bank is experiencing unprecedented levels of violence, placing communities at risk.
The northern West Bank has experienced weeks of protracted Israeli military operations, with the refugee camps of El Far’a, Tulkarm, Nur Shams and Jenin especially affected.
Civilian infrastructure, including water and electricity networks, have been destroyed, with precarious access for communities to basic supplies.
UNRWA has been forced to suspend services to refugees because of the unacceptable risk to staff and beneficiaries during these operations.
Reports that improvised explosive devices have been deployed by Palestinian armed groups are of particular concerns.
All civilians have to be protected during military operations & their safe access to basic services must be ensured.
On the week students were due to return to classrooms, 6,000 girls & boys attending UNRWA schools in the northern West Bank have had their education disrupted.
Background Information:
UNRWA is the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. The United Nations General Assembly established UNRWA in 1949 with a mandate to provide humanitarian assistance and protection to registered Palestine refugees in the Agency’s area of operations pending a just and lasting solution to their plight.
UNRWA operates in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, The Gaza Strip, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
Tens of thousands of Palestine refugees who lost their homes and livelihoods due to the 1948 conflict continue to be displaced and in need of support, nearly 75 years on.
UNRWA helps Palestine Refugees achieve their full potential in human development through quality services it provides in education, health care, relief and social services, protection, camp infrastructure and improvement, microfinance, and emergency assistance. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions.
Your support is crucial to help us provide emergency aid
to displaced families in Gaza
For more information, please contact:
Public Information Office/ West Bank Field
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Office: +972 2 5890410
Email:
a.ismail@unrwa.org