MINISTER FOR FOREIGN Affairs, Simon Coveney, announced €2 million in additional support for the Palestinian people, following a meeting with Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, in Dublin today.

The funding will be allocated to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which provides essential services to 5.7 million registered Palestine refugees in the occupied Palestinian territory, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.

It brings Ireland’s total contribution to UNRWA in 2022 to €8 million, while the country’s total assistance to the Palestinian people will amount to €16.5 million this year to date.

Announcing the pledge, Minister Coveney said:

“I am delighted to announce this additional funding for UNRWA. Ireland is a longstanding supporter of the agency’s work with and on behalf of Palestine refugees.”

“UNRWA provides a lifeline to the most vulnerable groups within the refugee population and its work continues to be essential. This contribution will help UNRWA to provide critical services such as healthcare, education, humanitarian relief and social services to refugees across its fields of operation.”

“This includes Gaza, where ordinary people are suffering the effects of hostilities and the ongoing blockade.”

UNRWA’s Syria Regional Crisis Emergency Appeal addresses the basic humanitarian needs of Palestine refugees affected by the conflict in Syria. Palestine refugees have been disproportionately affected by this conflict, with an estimated 438,000 UNRWA-registered refugees remaining inside the country, of which almost one third are children.

Last month, Coveney condemned an Israeli airstrike on Gaza in which local health authorities said 12 people were killed, including a five-year-old girl, with more than 80 others injured.

Coveney said he was “deeply concerned about the escalation in and around Gaza and the impact of Israeli strikes on civilians”.

He condemned “the indiscriminate firing of rockets from Gaza affecting civilians” and added: “Ireland calls for de-escalation and the protection of civilians, which is an obligation under international humanitarian law.