Death Toll Reaches 41,638, UNRWA Chief Calls Israel's Aggression In Gaza An Endless Nightmare

UN Vehicles in Gaza, Palestine. (Source: UNOCHA/Themba Linden)

JAKARTA - Commissioner General of the United Nations Aid and Work Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) Philippe Lazzarini said Israeli aggression took place in Gaza as an endless nightmare, as the death toll continued to grow.

Lazzarini said that at the UN Office after a meeting with representatives from a number of countries.

The UN official said, "Gaza has become uninhabitable, its residents are suffering from illness, death, or hunger every day," quoted from WAFA Oct. 2.

Lazzarini showed Gaza's "residents trapped in 10 percent of the territory" in the enclave after continuing to move "in search of safety they never found."

According to Lazzarini, 620,000 children live among the rubble of houses destroyed in Gaza.

He said, during his meeting with UN member states in New York and Geneva, he asked them to make education a common priority that was more than just a life-saving activity.

He explained that UNRWA had begun to return some children to the learning environment, although the environment was unusual and complex.

"We must not forget that the only asset never taken from Palestine is education. They have lost a lot over the last few decades, but they have never lost education, and education is basically a source of pride for them," he added.

Separately, medical sources in Gaza said Palestinian deaths from Israeli aggression since October 7, 2023 had soared to 41,638, while 96,460 people were injured, the majority of victims were women and children.