Finland grants EUR 500,000 for Palestinians | national

Sat, 19 Jul, 2014 12:02:27 AM

Finland grants EUR 500,000 for Palestinians

FTimes Report, July 19

Palestinians leave Gaza City's Al-Shejaea neighborhood to a safer location after Israel's army started its ground offensive on the Gaza Strip on July 18, 2014. Israeli forces backed by tanks and warplanes today pushed into the edges of Gaza in a major operation to destroy Hamas tunnels that the Palestinian Islamist group warned was doomed to fail. Photo – AFP / Lehtikuva.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has granted 500,000 euros to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for relief work in Gaza to help Palestinian refugees, said an official press release on Friday.

In addition, 350,000 euros has been granted to the Finn Church Aid for relief work.

Minister for International Development Pekka Haavisto took the decision.

“The humanitarian aid is to help the Palestinians who have lost their homes or fled their homes in fear of air strikes; they live in extremely difficult conditions and need urgent emergency relief,” said Haavisto, pointing out that as the conflict is escalating, the need for aid is becoming critical and its delivery must be ensured.

Relatives of four boys, all from the Bakr family, mourn during their funeral in Gaza City, on July 16, 2014. Four children were killed and several injured at a beach in Gaza City medics said, in Israeli shelling witnessed by AFP journalists. The strikes appeared to be the result of shelling by the Israeli navy against an area with small shacks used by fishermen. The deaths raised the overall toll in nine days of violence in Gaza to 213. Photo – AFP / Lehtikuva.

Almost 1,800 homes have been destroyed or seriously damaged in air strikes. Tens of thousands of people have fled and 900,000 people are without water owing to damaged water systems.

UNRWA is already seriously under-funded. The support now granted will help the organisation to increase its urgent emergency relief in Gaza, according to the release.

The support is paid out of the appropriations for humanitarian aid included in Finland’s development cooperation.

Finland Times