India grants 2nd tranche of USD 5 million annual contribution to UNRWA for Palestinian refugees

India fulfilled its annual pledge of 5 million US dollars for the year 2023–24 by releasing the second tranche of 2.5 million US dollars to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) on Thursday, amid the continued conflict in Gaza.

Operating since 1950, UNRWA provides direct assistance and employment opportunities for officially recognised Palestinian refugees.

Nearly all of its funding comes from voluntarily donated funds from UN member nations.

About a month before, in November, the Indian government had released the first installment of its yearly commitment.

The UN agency, which is fighting to continue operating in the midst of the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza, acknowledged and appreciated India’s “generous contribution” last month, which came at a trying time, especially in Gaza.

The Islamist group Hamas has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2007. Following its attack on Israel on October 7, which prompted Israel to continue bombarding the region to its southwest with air and ground strikes, Hamas has placed the burden of this awful struggle mostly on the Palestinian people living in Gaza.

“UNRWA received a very generous contribution from India which is most welcome during these difficult times and in the face of huge needs across the region, particularly in Gaza,” a spokesperson for UNRWA, Tamara Alrifai, had told PTI last month in a text message from Amman.

The primary initiatives and services offered by the organisation, such as social assistance, healthcare, education, and relief for Palestinian refugees, are intended to be aided by India’s support.

According to a press release from the Representative Office of India in Palestine, Charge d’Affaires Elizabeth Rodrigues gave UNRWA the second tranche of the donation.

The government of New Delhi has emphasised its sustained support for the organization’s regional operations and the services it offers to Palestinian refugees.

Through the El-Arish Airport in Egypt, India had earlier on November 19 supplied 32 tonnes of “humanitarian assistance to the people of Palestine.”

India has donated USD 30 million to UNRWA since 2018.

India’s Minister of State for External Affairs, V. Muraleedharan, declared during the June 23, 2020, Extraordinary Virtual Ministerial Pledging Conference for UNRWA that his country will provide USD 10 million to UNRWA over the following two years.

Around 2.3 million people live in Gaza, but since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 and Israel retaliated, more than two thirds of the population has left their homes and moved south.

For hundreds of thousands of people living in shelters, the UNRWA has been struggling to deliver basic services.

Prior to the Gaza War, UNRWA was dealing with a rise in service requests as a result of an increase in the number of officially registered Palestinian refugees, the severity of their vulnerability, and their increasing poverty. Approximately 5.6 million Palestine refugees are registered with the organisation, and it is its duty to safeguard and support them throughout its five operational domains.

In the interim until their situation is justly and permanently resolved, its goal is to assist Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip in realising their full potential as human beings.

Services provided by UNRWA to Palestinian refugees include microfinance, protection, education, health care, relief, and social services, as well as improvements to camp infrastructure.

India has also strongly urged non-donor member states to think about supporting UNRWA in solidarity with the Palestine refugees, as well as other longtime donors to think about increasing their payments.

(With agency inputs)