Doha: The League of Arab States has welcomed the results of the UN General Assembly vote yesterday (Friday) to extend the mandate of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) for three years. In a statement Saturday, the Arab League said that UNRWA plays an indispensable role in providing for the livelihoods and employment of millions of Palestinian refugees in its five areas of operation.

According to Qatar News Agency, the League added that UNRWA’s role has become even more urgent due to the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip resulting from the brutal two-year Israeli war, which has led to the complete destruction of the Strip’s infrastructure and vital systems. The statement stressed that UNRWA, with its resources, capabilities, and the expertise of its staff, remains the most important entity in the humanitarian relief and recovery system in Gaza, particularly in the health and education sectors, which have suffered unimaginable devastation.

The Arab League expressed its hope that this important vote would mark the beginning of a renewed role for UNRWA and support it in confronting malicious Israeli campaigns aimed at eliminating its role in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem, as a prelude to abolishing the Palestinian refugee issue and depriving them of the most important means of their steadfastness on their land.

The League appealed to all donor countries to act urgently to close the funding gap facing the international agency, which amounts to approximately USD 200 million, in order to enable it to continue its indispensable humanitarian work in all five of its areas of operation.