UN agency for Palestinians seeks funds after US cuts
GAZA CITY -- The UN agency for Palestinian refugees has launched what it is calling an "unprecedented" fund-raising appeal seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in response to funding cuts by the Trump administration.
UNRWA's commissioner-general, Pierre Krahenbuhl, on Monday called last week's US decision "abrupt and harmful." His agency provides education, health and welfare services for more than 5 million refugees and their descendants across the Middle East. Some two-thirds of Gaza's 2 million people rely on UNRWA for assistance.
The "Dignity is Priceless" campaign aims to raise $500 million to ensure that the agency's core services are unaffected.
The US, which is the largest donor to UNRWA, withheld a $65 million payment.
President Donald Trump has blamed the Palestinians for a deadlock in peace efforts and threatened to cut US assistance.
