NEW YORK, Saturday, July 13, 2024 (WAFA) - Philippe Lazzarini, the Commissioner-General of the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), has revealed that a donors conference has raised enough funds to keep its operations in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon running until the end of September.
Lazzarini told the pledging conference at its opening yesterday morning that UNRWA only had funds until the end of August.
At the end of the conference, he told reporters the total amount in pledges won’t be known until the following week. But he said he was confident there will be enough new money in its $850 million annual budget to keep the agency running for another month and pay its 30,000 staff who provide education, primary health care and other development activities to about 6 million Palestinian refugees.
Addressing the prolonged Israeli aggression affecting Gaza for over nine months, Lazzarini underscored the necessity for a political resolution. He warned of dire consequences if a solution isn't reached soon, stating, "An entire generation of youth and children in Gaza will be sacrificed."
Earlier, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed to donors to support UNRWA, emphasizing its irreplaceable role despite Israeli criticism.
"Let me be clear, there is no alternative to UNRWA," Guterres asserted during a donor conference, highlighting the agency's vital lifeline for suffering Palestinians.
"As we believed things couldn't worsen in Gaza, civilians are being pushed horrifically into deeper circles of hell," Guterres added, urging immediate action to alleviate the humanitarian crisis.
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