In a phone call with Philippe Lazzarini, the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan discussed the current developments in the Middle East and ways to support the agency in fulfilling its mission.
The Emirates News Agency reported that the conversation focused on the urgent and intensified delivery of humanitarian, relief, and medical aid to the Palestinian people in Gaza, ensuring safe and unobstructed access to prevent further loss of life and avoid exacerbating the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Sheikh Abdullah reaffirmed the UAE’s steadfast support for UNRWA and the vital role it plays in delivering humanitarian aid and supporting Palestinian refugees.
He highlighted the agency’s crucial function, especially under the current circumstances facing the Palestinian people, particularly in the Gaza Strip, where two million individuals are in dire need of assistance provided by UNRWA and other UN agencies.
The UAE Foreign Minister praised UNRWA’s prompt action to investigate allegations against some individuals, emphasizing the importance of ensuring that these investigations do not negatively impact the agency’s humanitarian efforts and the essential services it provides to Palestinian refugees.
Furthermore, Sheikh Abdullah urged donor countries that have suspended their funding to UNRWA to urgently reconsider their decisions and continue supporting the agency’s humanitarian mission.
The number of casualties resulting from the bombing of various districts of the Gaza Strip by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is approaching 27,000 with almost 66,000 wounded, the Gaza Health Ministry reported on its Telegram channel.
