GENEVA, December 15. /TASS/. The head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said he was "terrified" by the ongoing smear campaigns against Palestinians.

"I am horrified at the smear campaigns that target Palestinians and all those who provide assistance and protection to them," UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said.

"And on that, I am asking you to help us push back against misinformation and inaccuracies. I know that some of you are constantly fact checking, fact checking is key if we want accurate information," he continued. "Just always make sure you verify and debunk repeated and sometimes vulgar accusations. As Commissioner General of UNRWA, I have experienced this more than once since our Agency is also one of the targets in this war."

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7 after militants from the Gaza Strip-based radical Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise incursion on Israeli territory, killing many Israeli kibbutz residents living near the Gaza border and abducting more than 200 Israelis, including women, children and the elderly. Hamas described its attack as a response to Israeli authorities’ aggressive actions against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and launched bombardments of the enclave and some areas in Lebanon and Syria, as well as a ground operation against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Clashes are also reported in the West Bank.