GERMANY PLEDGES EXTRA $41 MILLION TO UNRWA PROGRAMME IN GAZA

Gaza after Israeli air strikes in the blockaded area. Photo: AFP

Gaza, 26 Rajab 1436/15 May 2015 (MINA) – The German government has pledged an additional $41 million to support an UNRWA shelter assistance programme in the Gaza Strip.

In a statement on Wednesday, the UN agency said that it has already received a total of $93 million (€80 million) from Germany to finance the programme. It pointed out that Berlin is the second largest supporter of UNRWA’s appeal to help alleviate the humanitarian crisis in the besieged territory.

UNRWA noted that the German donation, which was presented immediately after the Israeli war on the enclave last summer, was crucial and enabled it to begin the implementation of its emergency shelter programme, bringing some humanitarian relief to the people of Gaza. Middle East Monitor (MEMO) quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

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The agency only has sufficient donations to rebuild 200 homes out of the 9,161 earmarked for Palestinian refugees whose previous shelters were destroyed completely during the Israeli offensive last year.

The Director of UNRWA Operations in Gaza, Robert Turner, described the German donation for reconstruction and recovery in Gaza as “extraordinary”.

He explained that more than eight months after the summer 2014 conflict ended the situation in the Gaza Strip remains desperate and the people there need other donors to follow the excellent example set by Germany.

The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) was established in 1949 to provide for the Palestinians driven from their homes during the Nakba, when the state of Israel was created in their land. The agency is dependant entirely on voluntary donations from UN member states. (T/P002/R04)

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Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)