Karen Abu-Zeid, commissioner general of the United Nations for Relief and
Works Agency (UNRWA) in Middle East, denied yesterday that the organization
decided to cut off ties with the Hamas-led Palestinian government.
She told a news conference in Gaza City that the organization is keeping
contact with the Refugees Department of the Palestine Liberation Organization
(PLO) and Aatef Odwan, the minister of refugees' affairs in the new cabinet.
Vowing not to cut off contact with the Hamas-led cabinet, Abu-Zeid said UNRWA
would intensify contact to ensure the success of its operations in the
Palestinian territories.
As for a severe shortage of humanitarian necessity facing UNRWA, Abu-Zeid
warned of the use-up of the organization's storage within two weeks, attributing
the shortage to the closure of Karni commercial crossing on the borders between
the Gaza Strip and Israel.
"UNRWA is facing difficulties in getting food supplies into the Gaza Strip as
well as getting its empty containers out," said Abu-Zeid.
She said that UNRWA is in constant contact with Israel to keep the commercial
crossing permanently opened, adding that UNRWA worked out a plan to deal with
the deteriorating situation.
