Download UNRWA SITREP #1 here
GAZA CITY,
The loss of life among civilians -including women and children- in the Gaza Strip is just tragic. UNRWA is currently verifying the number of Palestine Refugees among those killed and injured.
Israeli military operations into the Gaza Strip intensified over the past 24 hours while Palestinian armed groups continued firing rockets towards Israel.
UNRWA continues to respond to the communities' needs. The UNRWA essential services relating to food distribution, health and sanitation services, solid waste transfer to landfills and water wells are ongoing. All UNRWA schools were forced to close.
The current escalation in hostilities exacerbates an already severe humanitarian situation for Palestine Refugees in the Gaza Strip, among them many women and children.
UNRWA calls on all parties to the conflict to protect civilians at all times. UNRWA supports all efforts to reach a ceasefire so that civilians including Palestine Refugees in the Gaza Strip get respite and safety.
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UNRWA is the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. The United Nations General Assembly established UNRWA in 1949 with a mandate to provide humanitarian assistance and protection to registered Palestine refugees in the Agency's area of operations pending a just and lasting solution to their plight.
UNRWA operates in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, The Gaza Strip, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
Tens of thousands of Palestine refugees who lost their homes and livelihoods due to the 1948 conflict continue to be displaced and in need of support, nearly 75 years on.
UNRWA helps Palestine Refugees achieve their full potential in human development through quality services it provides in education, health care, relief and social services, protection, camp infrastructure and improvement, microfinance, and emergency assistance. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions.
