UNRWA Launches $481M Appeal for Palestine

By Staff, Agencies

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East [UNRWA] is launching an expanded Flash Appeal for the occupied Palestinian territory in response to the unprecedented devastation in the Gaza Strip and increasing needs in the West Bank.

The Agency is appealing US$481 million to address the most critical humanitarian needs of people impacted in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, until the end of this year.

In his address at the Paris Humanitarian Conference, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said: “One month into a tight siege and a brutal war, the humanitarian needs in the Gaza Strip are colossal. They grow by the hour. Last week in Gaza, children asked me if I had a piece of bread or a sip of water. It was one of the saddest moments,”

Lazzarini also called for a humanitarian ceasefire and an increased flow of humanitarian assistance.

He added: “Our abilities are stretched to the limits, as our staff themselves are displaced, enduring huge losses and mourning 99 UNRWA colleagues killed.”