Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner-general of the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees, said it is time that international reporters be given access to the Gaza Strip “to support the heroic work” of Palestinian journalists.

Foreign journalists need access to the besieged Palestinian territory “so that independent, factual and courageous reporting continues”, Lazzarini said.

The UNRWA chief made the call in a post on social media in which he said it was time for “independent investigations + accountability” in Gaza as “no one is being held accountable”.

Examples of impunity amid Israel’s onslaught on Gaza included “UN staff killed at unprecedented levels”, he said.

And “UN premises damaged, destroyed, targeted or used for military purposes almost on a daily basis” and “humanitarian convoys attacked, looted or denied access”, he added.

As disinformation against UNRWA also continues to “rage”, it “puts the lives of my colleagues in Gaza and elsewhere at risk”, Lazzarini added.