Gaza humanitarian conference calls for immediate cease-fire, sustainable funding for UN refugee agency

By Laith Junaidi

AMMAN, Jordan (AA) – Participants at an emergency aid conference for Gaza called Tuesday for an immediate halt to Israeli military operations in the enclave and for sustainable funding for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).

The conference, dubbed “Call for Action: Urgent Humanitarian Response for Gaza," is organized by Jordan, Egypt, and the UN.

The participants emphasized the necessity of establishing an immediate and permanent cease-fire that must be fully respected by all parties.

They called for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and civilians detained unlawfully and stressed the importance of ensuring their safety and humane treatment per international law.

The participants demanded an end to the ongoing Israeli military operations in Rafah at the southern tip of the Gaza Strip and called for the implementation of provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

They also highlighted the critical need for adequate, sustainable, transparent, and long-term funding to empower UNRWA to fulfill its mandated responsibilities effectively.

Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

Nearly 37,200 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, most of them women and children, and more than 84,800 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Eight months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the ICJ, whose latest ruling ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio