No reduction in aid to Palestinians: UN relief agency

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) on Monday assured Palestinians that there would be no reduction to humanitarian aid provided by the agency, according to UNRWA Commissioner-General Pierre Krahenbuhl.

In a statement, Krahenbuhl said that UNRWA was "more determined than ever" to protect the rights of Palestinians and meet their humanitarian needs.

"Nothing is more important to me than fulfilling that mission," he said.

"It is a mandate that reflects the will of the international community and was extended by the United Nations General Assembly a year ago."

He went on to assert that the UNRWA would continue providing vital services "without interruption" to refugees in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, the blockaded Gaza Strip and in Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.

Krahenbuhl also confirmed that the UNRWA's 711 schools and 143 medical clinics would remain open to refugees.

He urged the UNRWA's partners and donors to maintain their support for the agency "until a just and lasting solution [to the Israel-Palestine dispute] has been found".

"It is a matter of dignity for 5.3 million Palestinian refugees."

The UNRWA, which in recent years has struggled with chronic funding shortfalls, provides education and health services to more than 5 million Palestinian refugees.