Fri 28 July 2023:
The Representative of the Federal Republic of Germany in Ramallah, Oliver Owcza, said on Wednesday that his country had contributed €37 million ($40m) this year to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) for food aid in the Gaza Strip.
Owcza made his comment during a visit to Al-Shati Refugee Camp in the north west of the Gaza Strip, which has been under a strict Israeli siege for more than 17 years. Despite the German donation, UNRWA still faces a $75m gap for 2023.
“If not funded, the Agency will be forced to reduce or totally stop its food assistance in the Gaza Strip in September,” explained UNRWA.
The German official called on other donor states to step in to close the gap: “Germany remains committed to assisting Palestine Refugees. With our support this year, we will help UNRWA to provide food assistance to 1.2 million people in Gaza. It is of utmost importance that other donors provide additional contributions for UNRWA to continue this indispensable work.”
Currently, three out of four Palestinians in Gaza rely on emergency food aid, and the level of food insecurity is increasing. With exceptionally high poverty and unemployment rates, an already fragile humanitarian situation threatens to deteriorate further.
“We thank Germany for its longstanding commitment to support Palestine refugees,” said Thomas White, Director of UNRWA Affairs in Gaza. “Reliable funding enables UNRWA to provide food assistance to Palestine refugees living in the Gaza Strip.”
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