Jerusalem, Jul 16 (PTI) The agency that works for the Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday acknowledged India’s consistent support for its operations “in the face of immense political and financial challenges.”
India on Monday contributed USD 2.5 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) to support the agency's core programmes and services.
This is the first instalment of a total of USD 5 million that India donates annually.
Tamara Alrifai, a spokesperson for UNRWA told PTI that her agency is “very grateful” for the donation that is used for services, including education, healthcare, relief and social services to Palestinian refugees, amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
“In the face of immense political and financial challenges, India’s consistent support is a great source of pride to UNRWA,” Alrifai said further in a text message.
The ongoing war has created a humanitarian crisis in the narrow coastal territory and displaced most of its 2.3 million people, who in turn are rendered hungry and without adequate health facilities.
India has also delivered tonnes of “humanitarian assistance to the people of Palestine” via the El-Arish Airport in Egypt during the ongoing conflict.
In its endeavour to support the Palestinian refugees and their welfare, India has provided financial support to the tune of USD 35 million till the financial year 2023-24, a statement from the Representative Office of India in Ramallah (West Bank) said on Monday.
“During the recent UNRWA Pledging Conference held in New York, India announced that it will provide medicines to the agency based on specific requests,” it added.
New Delhi also reiterated its call for a safe, timely and sustained supply of humanitarian assistance to the people of Palestine during the conference.
Functional since 1950, UNRWA has been funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions from UN member states.
The agency has been struggling to keep up its functioning in the middle of conflict between Israel and Hamas, which has been ruling the Gaza Strip since 2007.
According to media reports, the war in Gaza, which was sparked by Hamas' October 7 last year attack, has killed more than 38,600 people, attributed to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.
Hamas' surprise attack on Israel killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and militants took about 250 hostages. About 120 remain in captivity, with about a third of them believed to be dead, according to Israeli authorities.