UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini has stepped down from his position, calling for an independent investigation into the killing of nearly 400 of the agency's staff members in Gaza since October 2023. On 31 March 2026, during his final public appearance in Geneva, the 62-year-old Swiss official urged the creation of a high-level expert panel to examine the deaths, which he said occurred amid widespread impunity. Lazzarini stated, "I believe we need a high-level panel of experts to look into the killing of our staff," and confirmed he had raised the matter with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and member states. He reported that more than 390 UNRWA employees had been killed, with many others severely injured or detained under harsh conditions.
Lazzarini condemned what he described as Israel's unchecked conduct in Gaza, asserting that the pattern of violence suggested "a licence to kill" in Palestinian territories. He noted that victims, including aid workers, health personnel and journalists, were routinely labelled as Hamas operatives to justify their deaths, a practice now extending to those killed in strikes on Lebanon who were designated as Hezbollah members. The agency, which serves around six million Palestinian refugees across the Middle East, has faced severe operational restrictions after Israel banned its activities and began demolishing its headquarters in east Jerusalem—an act Lazzarini called "extraordinarily outrageous." Israel has accused UNRWA of ties to Hamas, including allegations that some staff participated in the 7 October 2023 attacks, though UN investigations found no conclusive evidence to support the broader claims.
With no permanent successor named, Christian Saunders will serve as acting commissioner, tasked with stabilizing the agency amid collapsing funding and operations. Lazzarini warned that failure to protect UNRWA would have long-term humanitarian consequences.
When Philippe Lazzarini says Israel operates with a "licence to kill," he is not accusing it of isolated violations but of a systemic erosion of accountability that the UN has failed to challenge. His call for a high-level panel exposes the paralysis at the heart of the international system, where repeated killings of humanitarian staff do not trigger consequences, only statements. If even the deaths of nearly 400 UN workers cannot compel action, the principle of protected humanitarian space has effectively ceased to exist in Gaza. This sets a dangerous precedent: when neutrality no longer shields aid workers, no one is safe.
