Philippe Lazarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), has warned that the agency’s collapse would deprive an entire generation of Palestinian children of education, potentially sowing the seeds of further extremism.  

Lazarini highlighted the "real danger" of UNRWA’s collapse due to its severe financial crisis, stating, "If UNRWA collapses, we will sacrifice a generation of children deprived of proper education." For over 70 years, UNRWA has been a lifeline for nearly six million Palestinian refugees, providing essential services like education and healthcare across Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria.  

He stressed that depriving Palestinian children of education would lead to greater instability. "If 100,000 girls and boys in Gaza are denied education, with no future and schools reduced to places of despair amid rubble, we are sowing the seeds of further extremism," Lazarini warned during a press conference in Geneva.  

UNRWA faces unprecedented challenges, including funding suspensions by several donor countries following Israeli allegations that some staff participated in the October 7, 2023, attack. Israel has also barred UNRWA from operating in its territory under a law enacted in October 2024, further threatening the agency’s ability to function.  

Lazarini emphasized that UNRWA’s collapse would have devastating consequences, leaving Palestinian refugees without critical support and deepening the region’s humanitarian crisis.