Qatar, UNRWA sign $4.5 million pact to aid 4,400 Gazans in West Bank

The Qatar Red Crescent and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) have signed an agreement, backed by $4.5 million from a Qatari state development fund.

The deal aims to assist over 4,400 stranded Palestinian workers and patients from Gaza who are currently in the West Bank, Caliber.Az informs, citing foreign media.

"Cash assistance will provide crucial support for those displaced and unable to return to Gaza since the onset of Israeli aggression on the Strip from October 2023," a statement from Qatar's state news agency said.

"Thousands of Palestine refugees from Gaza remain stuck in the West Bank, caught in this crisis, separated from their families and livelihoods," stated UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini.

Since the Israeli blockade of Gaza began in 2007, movement in and out of the Strip has been severely restricted, compelling many to seek medical care, education, or employment in the West Bank. The recurrent outbreaks of violence frequently result in border closures, leaving those in need of essential services stranded.

Víctor Aguayo, UNICEF’s Director of Child Nutrition, has highlighted the dire situation facing children affected by severe malnutrition. Speaking to journalists at the UN Headquarters in New York, he described Gaza’s food and nutrition crisis as one of the most serious in history.

“The nutritional situation in Gaza is among the worst we’ve ever witnessed... it’s crucial to bear in mind that nearly half of Gaza’s population suffering from this devastation are children,” he stated.