Arab News Japan

DUBAI: Japan will provide additional aid of about ¥9 billion yen (or $65 million USD) to the Palestinian people through international and non-governmental organizations, in response to the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza.

The Japanese government also called for the need to achieve stability in the region. The new aid package will include several projects to be implemented.

First, some aid will go to urgent humanitarian assistance for food security, water and sanitation, healthcare, education and mine action through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), the World Food Program (WFP), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and the Japan Platform, a coalition of organizations Japanese non-governmental organization.

The aid will also be funded through the United Nations Population Fund, UN Women, and the International Planned Parenthood Federation for women’s reproductive health and production.

Japan said it will also help facilitate the movement of people and goods across borders through the UN office.

Finally, the aid will support the agricultural sector and its value chain through the UN Industrial Development Organization and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.

This emergency assistance was first announced in November when foreign minister KAMIKAWA Yoko visited Jordan and Israel.

With this new aid package to the Palestinians, the total amount of monetary assistance from Japan to Palestine reached about ¥341 billion yen (or $2.4 billion USD) since 1993.