UNRWA head defends agency amid recent criticism, cuts to funding

FILE - UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini attends a briefing at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, April 30, 2024. FILE - Displaced Palestinians wait to receive United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) aid, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, March 7, 2024.

The head of the United Nations agency that helps Palestinian refugees on Monday defended the organization’s work in Gaza while addressing concerns about funding shortfalls and difficulty delivering aid in the territory.