UNHCR chief urges prevention of new refugee crisis in Gaza

Doha, Qatar: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, has stressed the critical need to prevent the ongoing tragedy in Gaza from...

Doha, Qatar: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, has stressed the critical need to prevent the ongoing tragedy in Gaza from spiralling into a new refugee crisis.

Speaking to reporters at a recent event in Doha, Grandi noted the importance of avoiding further suffering, death, and displacement among Palestinians. “It is very important that this tragedy that is affecting the Palestinians in Gaza doesn’t become a new refugee crisis. Remember, still the original Palestinian crisis has not been resolved. If you have another refugee crisis, you will make it almost impossible, completely impossible to resolve and it will also affect any future peace negotiations.” 

“I join the UN Secretary General and many other leaders around the world who have expressed strongest hope that this offensive will not happen because it will cause even further suffering, death and displacement to hundreds to thousands of Palestinians,” Grandi noted.

Grandi outlined the UNHCR’s readiness to respond if the situation escalates. While UNHCR is not directly involved in Gaza, but UNRWA is, “but we continue to be prepared if there is a broader conflict, but frankly, God forbid that, there shouldn’t be any conflict, whether in Lebanon, nor in Egypt, because this would be catastrophic for everybody.”

Asked if Israel would heed the UN’s calls for restraint, Grandi expressed hope: “I hope the Israelis will listen to the international community saying that this has to finish.”