On Friday, the UN appealed for funding for the UNRWA, which it said is “on the brink of financial collapse” due to “chronic underfunding over the past decade”.
Qatar Charity is contributing $1.17 million to the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) for two years to provide refugees in the besieged Gaza Strip with healthcare.
In a statement on Tuesday, UNRWA announced the Qatari contribution to its operations as the ongoing Israeli blockade on Gaza enters its 16th year. The agreement is a continuation of Qatar Charity’s cooperation with the UN agency.
“The generous support of Qatar Charity to UNRWA is essential for the health and wellbeing of Palestine Refugees in the Gaza Strip. Access to healthcare is a human right applicable to all, including Palestine refugees,” Tamara Alrifai, UNRWA Director of External Relations and Communications, said.
Gaza has been under an illegal air, land and sea siege by Israel since 2007 that has deprived its 2.3 million population of access to basic resources. The blockade turned Gaza into what many Palestinians and rights groups have described as the world’s “largest open-air prison”.
“Giving Palestine Refugees’ access to health-care services enables them to lead healthier lives and maintains their dignity,” Tamara Alrifai, UNRWA Director of External Relations and Communications, said.
Between 2020 and 2022, Qatar Charity donated $1.5 million to provide Palestinian refugees in Gaza with food assistance. The Qatari entity has also been supporting UNRWA’s efforts in areas where millions of refugees from Palestine are located, including Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon.
“Qatar Charity is committed to supporting humanitarian causes across the globe and Palestine refugees are among its top priorities given the dire humanitarian conditions they face,” Nawaf Hammadi, Qatar Charity’s CEO Assistant to International Programs and Chief Global Programs Officer, said.
On Friday, the UN appealed for funding for the UNRWA, which it said is “on the brink of financial collapse” due to “chronic underfunding over the past decade”.
“As I address you today, I do not have the funds to keep our schools, health centres and other services running as of September,” Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General, told a pledging conference at the UN Headquarters in New York.
UNRWA was established in 1949 in light of the forced dispossession of Palestinians by the Zionist state to make way for illegal Jewish settlers. According to the agency, it is now funding nearly six million people across the West Bank, Gaza, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan.
During Friday’s funding conference in the US, the agency only managed to secure $107.2 million new contributions out of the $300 million it needs to stay afloat.
“While we are grateful for the pledges announced, they are below the funds that the Agency needs to keep over 700 UNRWA schools and 140 clinics open from September onwards,” Lazzarini said.
Lazzararini said an additional $75 million is “urgently needed” to provide enough food for over one million people in Gaza alone.
Last month, Gaza was subjected to yet another deadly Israeli bombardment that lasted for five days, during which at least 33 Palestinians, including six children, were killed.
