The international community underlined its ongoing commitment to the plight of the Palestine refugees during 2004 when donor contributions to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) topped US$502 million, the largest amount ever donated to the Agency in one year in its 55-year history. A total of US$368,022,307 was donated to the Agency’s cash and in-kind budget for its regular health, education, relief and social services and micro-credit programmes across its five fields of operations. A further US$23,026,843 was donated to projects in the five fields, such as rehabilitation of the homes of the very poor and the building of badly needed classrooms in the Agency’s crowded schools. Read more about Donations to Palestine refugees pass $500 million in 2004 

The main United Nations agency helping Palestinian refugees today handed over keys to new homes to most of the 435 families whose houses were destroyed during an Israeli incursion into the West Bank town of Jenin in 2002. “The relief effort geared towards the refugees in Jenin and the rebuilding of their homes has been the biggest humanitarian project undertaken in the occupied Palestinian territory since the outbreak of the conflict four years ago,” UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) Commissioner-General Peter Hansen said, referring to the latest Palestinian intifada, or uprising. Read more about UN aid agency replaces Palestinian homes destroyed in Israeli raid on Jenin 

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) today launched a $185.8 million emergency appeal for the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). The funding will allow the Agency to carry out crucial relief operations to the 1.6 million refugees in the West Bank and Gaza throughout 2005. This year has seen the worst levels of destruction of the four year intifada, as Israel has employed drastic measures against Palestinian militants firing rockets from Gaza and other security threats. The accelerating levels of demolitions, increasing deaths and injuries, and strict movement restrictions have contributed to ever-growing hardship for the refugee population. Over 2.2 million people in the oPt are now surviving on less than $2 per person per day. Read more about UN refugee agency appeals for $186 million in emergency relief for Palestine 

Peter Hansen, the Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), has expressed his growing concern and distress over the humanitarian situation of over 660,000 Palestine refugees in the West Bank. The refugees have been denied essential services, including emergency relief, by the continued strike of UNRWA’s 4,000 local staff in that area of its operations. Hansen is particularly worried about the effect the absence of teachers from schools is having on 60,000 pupils at UNRWA’s 95 schools in the West Bank. Read more about Chief of UN aid agency for Palestinians asks striking workers to return to jobs 

Late on 28 September 2004 large numbers of Israeli Defence Force (IDF) tanks, bulldozers and armoured personnel carriers moved into Northern Gaza from permanent bases in Nissanit settlement, Erez Industrial Zone and the Eastern Border, tearing up roads and flattening homes and crops as they pushed forward. Israeli Army units established strategic positions on high ground overlooking the Jabalia, Izbet Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahia areas; troops also deployed along the main road between Jabalia camp and Beit Hanoun and on the northern and eastern sides of Jabalia camp. Read more about UNRWA Gaza field assessment of IDF Operation Days of Penitence 

The United Nations relief agency assisting Palestinians faces a $120 million shortfall for its emergency operations this year in Gaza and the West Bank, donor countries were told today. The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said only $89.4 million has been pledged for its $209.4 million Emergency Appeal for Gaza and the West Bank. The Agency’s regular budget will also face a $7.3 million deficit by the end of 2004. The directors of UNRWA’s main programmes – which provide education, health, relief and social services, micro-credit and camp development to the refugees – also presented to the two-day meeting of 26 major donor countries plans for upgrading the Agency’s services over the next three to five years. Read more about UN agency faces $120 million shortfall for emergency aid to Palestinians 

At 9.15 this morning, Ghadeer Jaber Mokheimer, a grade five pupil at UNRWA’s Co-Ed Elementary D School in Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip died of her injuries from a gunshot wound received while sitting at her desk in an UNRWA school. She had been hit in the stomach by a shot from an Israeli military position on the outskirts of Khan Younis camp. Ghadeer would have been ten years old on December 9. The nine year old is the second young child in recent weeks to die after being shot while sitting at her desk in an UNRWA school. Read more about Girl shot in UNRWA school dies 

A child sitting in the classroom of an UN-flagged school has been struck in the stomach by gunfire from an Israeli position in the Gaza Strip. This is the fourth such incident in under two years, last month an 11-year old girl died after being hit at her desk in Khan Younis. At 10:45hrs this morning, two shots were heard from the direction of an Israeli army position on the border of the Gush Katif settlement block and overlooking Khan Younis refugee camp. One of the shots hit Ghadeer Jaber Mokheimer, a grade five pupil at UNRWA’s Co-Ed Elementary D School. Ghadeer was immediately taken to hospital and into emergency surgery. Her condition is currently reported as stable. Read more about Israeli gunfire hits 11-year old girl sitting at her desk in an UNRWA school 

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) today delivered food and water to half of the 600 families trapped in their homes east of Jabalyia camp by the Israeli incursion in the North of the Gaza Strip. The 600 families, approximately 3,300 persons, have been completely unable to leave their homes since the beginning of the Israeli military operation on 29 September. Most have exhausted their food supplies and many have seen their water and electricity connections to their homes cut by bulldozing operations. The delivery was facilitated by a practical dialogue between UNRWA and Israeli military liaison officers. Read more about UNRWA convoy delivers first humanitarian relief to northern Gaza