Qatar Red Crescent and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) have inked a $4.5 million package to provide essential assistance for more than 4,400 Palestinian employees and patients stuck in the West Bank. This help, backed by a Qatari state development grant, seeks to cater to people who could not go back to Gaza after the start of Israeli attacks in October.
Speaking to the Qatari state news agency, the cash, which will be in the form of a check, will act as a lifeline for the displaced Palestinians who have lost their homes and source of income in Gaza. UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said more than ever, refugees needed help, pointing to thousands of Palestine refugees from the Gaza Strip still stuck in the West Bank, which separated them from their families and income.
Travel between Gaza and the West Bank has been difficult since Israel closed the crossing point following the blockage of Gaza in 2007. This blockade, along with the increasing acts of violence, has denied many Palestinians their stock basic needs, including healthcare, education, and employment, most especially in the West Bank. These perennial closures and the constant wars have locked in workers and patients needing better jobs or treatment somewhere beyond Gaza in limbo.
The new aid announced in recent months will target those most affected by these restrictions by providing financial support to alleviate the country’s largely dismal living standards. To many, receiving food and other necessities such as medical assistance and housing is essential while the families are in Gaza.
During this conflict, humanitarian organizations have become more concerned with civilian refugees, specifically Palestinians who are affected by border shutdowns. Some have been forced to flee their homes because of the unrest, worsening their hurdles towards access to healthcare and job opportunities.
The $4.5 million aid package is among all the assistance offered by Qatar and other nongovernmental international organizations to the people of Gaza and other neighboring places to help ease the suffering of people due to the existing humanitarian crisis. As the closure of borders remains and becomes a significant issue that affects thousands of Palestinians’ daily lives, humanitarian aid remains a substantial aspect of helping those people suffer from the ongoing war between Palestinians and Israelis.
After the start of the blockade by Israel, several attempts have been made by the international community to help alleviate the situation and lift the blockage, but the problem is still desperate. The signing of the memorandum with the Qatar Red Crescent and UNRWA once again can be regarded as providing a ray of light in the growing humanitarian crisis to the Palestinians who have been displaced.
Such a bailout will help in the short term by providing much-needed funds, but it is evident that a long-term solution is required to solve the crisis. The relations that need to be maintained between the state of Qatar, UNRWA, and other cooperators will play a significant role in guaranteeing proper support for people in need and the stranded Palestinians during this challenging period.
