Drowning of Palestinians near Sicily a ‘clear, tragic sign’ of untenable situation — UNRWA

AMMAN — As many as nine Palestinians drowned off the coast of Sicily on March 4, UNRWA said in a statement, citing latest reports, on Thursday. 

The nine were amongst 59 Palestinians who were part of a larger group trying to reach Europe from the shores of Libya, according to the UN agency.

“The fact that this group reportedly consisted of Palestine refugees from Syria, as well as from Gaza and Lebanon, is a clear and tragic sign that Palestine refugees are finding life in Syria and beyond increasingly untenable,” UNRWA said.

The Syrian conflict “has overwhelmed” Palestinian refugees, while in Gaza, the effects of the Israeli occupation, blockade and recurring military campaigns have devastated not refugee homes, lives and income, according to the agency. 

Moreover, the strain of Lebanon's refugee load has pushed Palestine refugees into “destitution and desperation”.   

These tragedies involving men, women and children drowning at sea stem not only from armed conflict, occupation and a lack of protection of human rights, but more fundamentally from the failure to resolve the Palestine refugee problem, UNRWA said. 

“At a time of rising extremism in the Middle East region, the failure of the international community to resolve the Palestinian issue takes on an added significance,” it added.

The international community has, through UNRWA, supported the resilience of Palestine refugees throughout the region since 1950.  

The UN agency appealed for an urgent increase “in this indispensable assistance,” calling for full compliance with obligations under international law and the protection of those fleeing conflict. 

It stressed “the ever-more urgent need” for political solutions to the Palestinian-Israeli and Syrian conflicts “so that Palestine refugees can again build for a dignified and secure future”.