The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) launched a $1.21-billion urgent appeal to meet the humanitarian needs of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank on Wednesday, April 24.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini reported that the appeal was aimed at meeting the most urgent needs of 1.7 million Palestinians in Gaza Strip and over 200,000 refugees in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
The scars of war are seen on a massive scale in Gaza. Meanwhile, violence is increasing in the West Bank. It is critical to support UNRWA in providing lifesaving humanitarian assistance and development services in health and education. The past months proved that there is no replacement or alternative to UNRWA.
Israel launched an offensive in Gaza following a cross-border Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, that killed nearly 1,200 people.
Since then, more than 34,200 Palestinians have been killed and another 77,200 injured in the Israeli siege. According to the UN, more than six months after the war began, large areas of Gaza lay in ruins, with 85% of the enclave’s population displaced.
UNRWA was established by the UN General Assembly over 70 years ago to assist Palestinians forcibly displaced from their land. The agency provides crucial support to millions of Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and other areas with large numbers of registered Palestinians.
Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered the country to stop acts of genocide and take measures to guarantee humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza.
