Ireland has pledged a further €20 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency to support its life-saving work in Gaza. The war in Gaza, following the heinous Hamas attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023, is in its fourth month.
Over 100,000 people in Gaza are either dead, injured, missing, or presumed dead. The UN estimates that 90% of the population faces acute hunger. This €20 million will help to address UNRWA’s critical funding crisis, which jeopardizes support to 5.9 million Palestinians across the region.
Speaking during a visit to Dublin by UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, the Tánaiste said: “In Gaza, we are bearing witness to a humanitarian catastrophe. People are in dire need of the most basic lifesaving provisions – food, water, shelter. In these most harrowing conditions, facing the prospect of further military escalation, UNRWA is the backbone of the humanitarian response. It urgently needs support from all UN Member States. I urge other donors to resume and expand support to UNRWA so that it can deliver for the millions of Palestinian refugees in need.”
The Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora Seán Fleming TD, added: “Ireland has made clear that there needs to be a dramatic upscaling in the level of humanitarian aid reaching people in Gaza. Today, Ireland is stepping up to provide €20 million to UNRWA to address the urgent needs of Palestinian refugees.”
