At least 18 people in Gaza died from malnutrition and dehydration, the local health ministry said on Wednesday.

Qatar called for the need for “urgent international action” to end the war in Gaza and address its “catastrophic humanitarian conditions” on Wednesday while pledging an additional $25 million to support the United Nations’ agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).

The announcement came during remarks by Qatar’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Sheikha Alya Al-Thani at the UN General Assembly. 

“Her Excellency pointed out the provision of additional support from the State of Qatar to UNRWA of USD 25 million to help meet the emergency needs that UNRWA is currently facing, based on Qatar’s firm positions in supporting and assisting the fraternal Palestinian people,” a statement by the Qatari foreign ministry said.

The session was focused on the challenges facing UNRWA following significant funding cuts by its biggest donors, including the United States. 

At least 16 countries had decided to halt funding UNRWA after Israel accused 12 of UNRWA’s employees of allegedly being involved in Hamas’s surprise attack of October 7, 2023. 

The countries represented $440 million of the agency’s overall funding, according to UNRWA.

Speaking at the UNGA, Sheikha Alya Qatar condemned “the systematic targeting campaign aimed at dismantling UNRWA,” urging those who suspended their donations to the agency “to review their decisions.”

“[Qatar] expresses its regret over the suspension of some donor countries’ funding allocated to the agency, to which there is no alternative, and on which five million Palestinians depend, especially in light of the current catastrophic humanitarian conditions in Gaza,” Sheikha Alya said, as cited by the foreign ministry.

The U.S. is reportedly lobbying countries to fund UNRWA despite freezing its funding to the agency, sources told Middle East Eye on Monday. 

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland reportedly asked Turkish officials in late January that Ankara and Gulf countries “should fill the gap,” Turkish sources told the news outlet.

Meanwhile, a meeting in Beirut took place on Wednesday on the situation concerning UNRWA in Lebanon. Qatar’s Ambassador to Lebanon Sheikh Saud bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani and Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati were present.

UNRWA was established in 1949 in light of the forced dispossession of Palestinians by Israel to make way for illegal Jewish settlers. The agency has since supported refugees across the West Bank, Gaza, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan.

The funding cut came at a critical time as Gaza’s dire humanitarian situation worsened under the ongoing Israeli war coupled with the complete air, land and sea blockade. The Israeli war has killed at least 30,717 Palestinians while displacing more than 80% of the population.

Gaza’s 2.2 million population are suffering from severe malnutrition and dehydration due to the absence of basic resources and restrictions on the entry of aid. At least 18 people in Gaza died from malnutrition and dehydration, Gaza’s health ministry said on Wednesday.

Israel has also been carrying out deadly attacks on Palestinians collecting aid in Gaza. On February 29, Israel carried out the first such massacre against Palestinians collecting aid at the Nabulsi roundabout, killing more than 100 people. 

In her remarks before the UNGA, Sheikha Alya renewed Qatar’s condemnation of the “heinous massacre.”

“She added that the State of Qatar calls for urgent international action to end this aggression immediately, in preparation for addressing the catastrophic humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip, which threaten a real famine in northern Gaza as a result of the siege and bombing,” the Qatari foreign ministry said.

Last December, Qatar pledged $50 million at the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva as an initial humanitarian aid package for Gaza and to provide 100 scholarships for Palestinians to continue their studies in Doha through an Education Above All Foundation program. 

During the same month, the Qatar Fund for Development and UNRWA agreed to a $18 million agreement for the year 2023-2024 to support Palestinian refugees amid the ongoing Israeli aggression in Gaza.

Since the start of the war, Qatar has sent 84 aid flights for Gaza, with the latest plane sent on Wednesday. Qatar also evacuated 18 batches of wounded Palestinians as of Tuesday, though it did not specify the total number of people transported to the Gulf country.

The evacuations came as part of an initiative by Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to sponsor 3,000 orphans and treat 1,500 injured Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Apart from its humanitarian efforts in Gaza, Qatar has been playing a central mediating role in hopes of reaching a complete ceasefire.