CAIRO, July 8 -- Egyptian Minister of Foreign, Emigration and Expatriates' Affairs Badr Abdelatty on Monday stressed the vital role of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) regarding aid distribution in the Gaza Strip.

"There is no alternative to UNRWA in Gaza, as it is the only agency with distribution centers in the strip," said Abdelatty in a joint televised press conference with the visiting Commissioner-General of UNRWA Philippe Lazzarini.

Abdelatty reiterated the necessity of "an immediate ceasefire and the unconditional access of humanitarian and medical aid to Gaza" and Egypt's keenness to work with the UNRWA to fulfill its tasks, calling on the international community and donor parties to reconsider funding the agency.

Lazzarini confirmed that UNRWA institutions in Gaza have been the target of Israeli military operations since the beginning of the ongoing conflict, noting that 2,000 UN employees were killed in Gaza in the war so far.

Lazzarini added the absence of a safe place in the strip has forced around 250,000 Palestinians to flee Khan Younis this week.

"A generation may be deprived of education in the besieged strip after the destruction of most schools," said the UNRWA chief, stressing the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of captives, and the provision of humanitarian aid.

According to the UNRWA numbers, the agency looks after 1.4 million registered refugees (approximately 74 percent) out of the 1.9 million total Gaza population.

  - Xinhua