UNRWA chief says Israel stopped giving visas to international NGOs heads, staff

Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, announced on Tuesday that Israel has stopped granting visas to the heads and staff of international non-governmental organizations (NGOs). "The Israeli authorities have stopped giving visas to heads and staff of NGO community," Lazzarini said Tuesday in a post on his official X account. "Humanitarian organizations and international media are prevented from doing their work properly. This has to end and restrictions must be lifted," he added. "For years, these organizations have been providing humanitarian assistance to people in need in close cooperation with the UN," Lazzarini further added. "Increasingly, the Government of Israel is phasing out representation for humanitarian organizations or those engaged in reporting on the atrocities of this war and the impact on civilians," he explained. Source: Jordan News Agency