India donates $2.5 million to UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA

India donated $2.5 million to UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA on Friday.

The funds will help UNRWA to provide education, medical care, social services and other programmes to Palestinian refugees, the agency said in a press release.

"This timely contribution is a strong demonstration of India's unwavering support to the work of UNRWA and commitment to… wellbeing for Palestine refugees," said Karim Amer, partnerships director for UNRWA's external relations department.

"On behalf of UNRWA, I would like to express our deep appreciation for the Government of India for its continued funding to the Agency and its backing of Palestine refugees across the Middle East."

Sunil Kumar, West Asia and North Africa director in India's external affairs ministry, bestowed the funds in the form of a cheque handed to Amer at UNRWA's headquarters in occupied East Jerusalem.

India is a "dedicated donor" to UNRWA, the agency said, noting that since 2018 New Delhi has given $20 million to assist with "core UNRWA services" for Palestinian refugees in the Middle East.

"It is thanks to the enduring support of donors like the Government of India that the Agency is able to provide vital services to Palestine refugees across the Middle East in the face of its continuing challenges," UNRWA said.

The agency was founded in 1949, the year after the Nakba (Arabic for "catastrophe"), when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were ethnically cleansed from their homes alongside the creation of the Israeli state.

"As educators worldwide discuss the benefits and challenges of online learning, UNRWA is pioneering with a digital learning programme that will protect students in case of crises," said @UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini 👇https://t.co/6NFa3aCnJx

— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) June 8, 2022

The Nakba led to a refugee crisis that continues to this day.

UNRWA works in Palestine's occupied West Bank and besieged Gaza, and in Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.

The agency's services are a vital lifeline for Palestinian refugees, who often live in poverty.