The head of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said today, visiting the Gaza Strip, that UNRWA teams will remain “on the side of the Palestinians” in the enclave despite the war between Hamas and Israel.

“My unequivocal message, the clear message to all staff members and the people of Gaza is that UNRWA will stand by the Palestinian refugees and the Palestinians here in Gaza,” Philippe Lazzarini, the most senior official, told reporters of the UN that entered the enclave after the war broke out.

During his short stay in Gaza, Lazzarini visited a school where displaced persons are accommodated.

“I was shocked by the fact that everyone down there was asking for food and water. We saw almost all the children saying they need food, they need water. I had never seen anything like this in Gaza when I was coming here after some conflict,” he added.

In a press conference he gave on October 27 in Jerusalem, Lazzarini warned that “many more” people “will soon die” due to Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip. Nearly 8,800 people, most of them civilians, have been killed since the start of the war which began after Hamas’ unprecedented attacks on Israeli soil killed more than 1,400 people.