{"id":252052,"date":"2021-05-19T18:34:55","date_gmt":"2021-05-19T22:34:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/?post_type=document&p=252052"},"modified":"2021-05-20T18:36:17","modified_gmt":"2021-05-20T22:36:17","slug":"unrwa-launches-us-38-million-flash-appeal-for-gaza-and-the-west-bank-press-release","status":"publish","type":"document","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/unrwa-launches-us-38-million-flash-appeal-for-gaza-and-the-west-bank-press-release\/","title":{"rendered":"Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA Launches US$ 38 Million Flash Appeal for Gaza and the West Bank – Press Release"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

Appeal<\/a><\/p>\n

Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA) urgently requires US$38 million to cover the most urgent humanitarian needs of affected populations in Gaza and the West Bank, following the dramatic intensification in violence in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) in recent days. This includes the escalation of hostilities leading to massive Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, which began on 10 May, and clashes in the West Bank, including in East Jerusalem. The humanitarian emergency in both Gaza and the West Bank is exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am shocked by the number of civilian lives already lost and infrastructure already destroyed in Gaza,\u201d said the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini.\u00a0 \u201cI am just as shocked at the excessive use of force at demonstrators in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. \u00a0Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA has immediately stepped up an emergency humanitarian response and needs financial support to scale it up to the level of acute needs of the impacted populations.\u201d<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Flash Appeal<\/a>\u00a0outlines the priorities to respond to the immediate food, non-food, health, psychosocial, and other urgent needs following the massive bombardments in Gaza. Psychosocial support and protection measures for vulnerable groups and especially children and women will be implemented. Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA will assess subsequent needs, including shelters rehabilitation and support to livelihoods, once the security situation permits and will adjust its response and budgetary requirements.<\/p>\n

Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA also reiterates its call for the opening of the crossings to allow both humanitarian supplies and humanitarian workers to enter Gaza. \u201cThere is no reason to prevent access and weaken critical assistance to the most affected people,\u201d added Mr. Lazzarini, who is still awaiting urgent Israeli approval to cross into Gaza. \u201cA humanitarian truce is desperately needed to allow assistance to the people in Gaza including those having fled their homes.\u201d<\/p>\n

The appeal also contains a component of emergency needs in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in the sectors of health, shelter, education, security and protection, where needs have risen because of the mounting tensions.<\/p>\n

Palestine refugees in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, face daily clashes and significant unrest in urban areas, refugee camps, and around checkpoints, increased settler violence, restricted movement and the ongoing threat of COVID-19.\u00a0 The ongoing protests and confrontations across the West Bank, are generating additional humanitarian and protection needs amongst Palestine refugees.<\/p>\n

Under the Flash Appeal, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA is requesting support to maintain the provision of essential health services and for emergency first aid, as needed; enhance the provision of psycho-social support (PSS) including for school children; deliver multipurpose cash assistance to vulnerable refugee families whose properties have sustained damage from confrontations; and to ensure that Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA staff are able to continue providing services safely and securely to vulnerable refugees in need.\u00a0 Lastly, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA \u2013 with a clear protection mandate for over 860,000 Palestine refugees in the West Bank – will continue to document violations, advocate for their protection, and promote their rights.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fighting must stop immediately,\u201d said the Commissioner-General. \u201cThe escalation across the occupied Palestinian territory is the direct consequence of the failure of the international community to resolve this conflict, including a just and lasting solution for Palestine refugees. It is the direct consequence of decades of displacement, occupation and blockade. It reminds all of us that the status quo is untenable. Until there is a just solution to the plight of Palestine refugees, we remain unwavering in our commitment to serving them in this time of crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
Background Information:\u00a0<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA is confronted with an increased demand for services resulting from a growth in the number of registered Palestine refugees, the extent of their vulnerability and their deepening poverty. Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions and financial support has been outpaced by the growth in needs. As a result, the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA programme budget, which supports the delivery of core essential services, operates with a large shortfall. Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA encourages all Member States to work collectively to exert all possible efforts to fully fund the Agency\u2019s programme budget. Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA emergency programmes and key projects, also operating with large shortfalls, are funded through separate funding portals.<\/p>\n

Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949 and mandated to provide assistance and protection to some 5.7 million Palestine refugees registered with Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA across its five fields of operation. Its mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip achieve their full human development potential, pending a just and lasting solution to their plight. Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, protection and microfinance.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:<\/strong><\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
Sami Mshasha<\/b><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
Director of Communications, Arabic Language Spokesperson<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Mobile:<\/div>\n
\n
+972 (0)54 216 8295<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Office:<\/div>\n
\n
+972 (0)258 90724<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Email: s.mshasha@unrwa.org<\/a><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
Tamara Alrifai<\/b><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA Spokesperson<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Mobile:<\/div>\n
\n
+962 (0)79 090 0140<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Email: T.ALRIFAI@Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA.ORG<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Appeal Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA) urgently requires US$38 million to cover the most urgent humanitarian needs of affected populations in Gaza and the West Bank, following the dramatic intensification in violence in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) in recent days. This includes the escalation […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":172,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"template-page.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"country":[],"document-category":[2685,1329],"document-source":[1817],"committee-meeting":[],"document-subject":[1945,2005,2533,5200,2153,1745,6251],"entity":[1729],"document-language":[],"class_list":["post-252052","document","type-document","status-publish","hentry","document-category-appeal","document-category-press-release","document-source-united-nations-relief-and-works-agency-for-palestine-refugees-in-the-near-east-unrwa","document-subject-assistance","document-subject-gaza-strip","document-subject-health","document-subject-humanitarian-relief","document-subject-refugee-camps","document-subject-refugees-and-displaced-persons","document-subject-west-bank","entity-united-nations-system"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/252052","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/document"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/172"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/252052\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=252052"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=252052"},{"taxonomy":"document-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-category?post=252052"},{"taxonomy":"document-source","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-source?post=252052"},{"taxonomy":"committee-meeting","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/committee-meeting?post=252052"},{"taxonomy":"document-subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-subject?post=252052"},{"taxonomy":"entity","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/entity?post=252052"},{"taxonomy":"document-language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-language?post=252052"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}