UN aid agency in $16m appeal for Syria quake-hit Palestine refugees

A Palestinian volunteer pushes a trolley of food rations outside an aid distribution center run by the UN Relief and Works Agency at the Al-Shati camp in Gaza City on Saturday. (File/AFP)

• Earthquake affected nearly 47,000 Palestine refugees in Syria with over 2,300 still displaced

LONDON: A UN aid organization on Monday appealed for $16.2 million to help Palestine refugees affected by the recent devastating earthquake in Syria.

Officials of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) made their plea for funds during the International Donors’ Conference in Brussels, Emirates News Agency reported.

Part of the agency’s 2023 Syria-Lebanon Flash Appeal, the money was urgently required to meet the humanitarian and early recovery needs of the refugee group following the quake that rocked the north of Syria in February.

Nearly 47,000 Palestine refugees in Syria are estimated to have been affected by the disaster with more than 2,300 still displaced.

The agency has already provided hygiene kits and blankets, psychosocial support for children, telemedicine help for vulnerable individuals, and cash assistance to families.

UNRWA schools have also reopened with catch-up classes and child psychosocial sessions.

While UNRWA has pledged to continue providing critical aid to Palestine refugees in the aftermath of the quake, it has stated that it cannot do so alone.