UNRWA calls for 1.2 billion USD of aid for Gaza, West Bank
(VOVWORLD) - On Wednesday, UNRWA, the United Nations agency supporting Palestine refugees, announced an appeal for 1.2 billion USD to alleviate the severe humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
 Humanitarian aid packages are dropped over the northern Gaza Strip on April 23, 2024. (Photo: AFP/VNA) |
The funding is aimed at covering humanitarian efforts through the end of the year to support approximately 1.7 million people in the devastated Gaza Strip and more than 200,000 refugees in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini highlighted the severity of the situation, saying the damage caused by the conflict in Gaza is on a massive scale, while violence is increasing in the West Bank.
On the same day, Sigrid Kaag, UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for the Gaza Strip, called for a change in the operation of the aid mechanism to meet the enormous needs of civilians.
To show support for the Palestinian people, students from many universities in the US continued to participate in protests on Wednesday, triggering suggestions from American House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson that the National Guard should be brought in to maintain order.
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is coordinating with universities to prevent anti‑Semitic threats and possible violence relating to the spiraling pro‑Palestinian protests.