Japan pledges backing for UNRWA to address Gaza humanitarian crisis
Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) Philippe Lazzarini, left, is welcomed by Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Tuesday Japan will support the U.N. agency in charge of assisting Palestinian refugees in its efforts to improve the dire humanitarian situation facing residents of the Gaza Strip.
During a meeting at the prime minister's office, Ishiba and Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner-general of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, or UNRWA, agreed to coordinate closely over extending assistance to refugees facing a "severe crisis," the Japanese government said.
Lazzarini said 500,000 people are already facing starvation in Gaza as the conflict between Israel and the Hamas militant group continues, underscoring the scale of the crisis.
Israel allowed the delivery of aid to Gaza earlier this month, after blocking it for over two months to apply pressure on Hamas.
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