UNRWA announces a Swedish grant of $5.7 million to the Gaza Strip

2021-12-09 23:18:22
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The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) announced today, Thursday, a Swedish grant worth $5.7 million to support the Gaza Strip after the recent Israeli aggression.

"The Swedish government, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East ( UNRWA ) and the Program for Assistance to the Palestinian People of the United Nations Development Program have signed a donation agreement of 50 million Swedish kronor ($5.7 million)," the agency said in a press statement .

The agency stated that the Swedish assistance will be directed "to support early recovery efforts in Gaza in the wake of the hostilities in May 2021."

The early recovery program in Gaza will provide urgent assistance to the most vulnerable families in the Strip, by securing much-needed job opportunities and providing shelter support for refugees and non-refugees, according to an UNRWA statement.

The program focuses on four main components: dealing with rubble, cash aid for temporary housing, immediate partial rehabilitation of damaged housing, and short-term jobs to restore livelihoods, according to the statement.

On May 10, Israel launched an 11-day aggression on the Gaza Strip, which ended with a ceasefire on the 21st of the same month.

The aggression caused the complete or severe destruction of 1,335 residential facilities, while about 12,886 homes were damaged, according to the government media office in Gaza.

UNRWA provides basic services, especially in education and health, to more than 5.5 million Palestinian refugees in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.