The Government of Japan contributed US$ 7 million to UNRWA in support of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) affected by the ongoing escalation of hostilities in the Gaza Strip that started on 7 October 2023. This funding is responding to the Agency’s Flash Appeal issued on 10 October.
Director of Partnerships with the UNRWA External Relations and Communications Department, Mr. Karim Amer said, “I am very grateful to Japan for this support. It will help UNRWA continue essential and emergency work, including the provision of essential food and drinking water, to about 85,000 Internally Displace Persons who take shelter at UNRWA installations most in need in the Gaza Strip.”
As of 24 October, the number of IDPs in Gaza is estimated to be 1.2 million, including about 600,000 IDPs sheltering in 150 UNRWA shelters in the middle, Khan Younis and Rafah areas alone, all facing increasingly dire conditions. The number of displaced people in need of emergency shelters is expected to rise in the foreseeable future. UNRWA shelters are overcrowded and have very limited supplies of food, drinking water, and other items.
Ambassador for Palestinian Affairs and Representative of Japan to Palestine, Mr. NAKASHIMA Yoichi said, “This year, we commemorate 70 years of partnership between Japan and UNRWA. Japan’s long-term partnership is the evidence of its keenness to alleviate the suffering of those affected around the world, including Palestinian Refugees. We hope that this assistance will contribute to alleviating the severity of the current situation and the suffering of the people in Gaza by meeting their basic needs.”
